History Repeats
by Krazy Ky-Sta Hatter
Summary: After a year of being close to death in the parallel universe, the TARDIS brings Rose's consciousness back to the first time she set foot in the TARDIS. She's given the chance to save lives and stop Canary Warf. But can she do it... or will she fall apart
1. The Unexpected Visitor, Dying

_**So, I've seen one of these out there before. I though it was a really brilliant idea. But in my opinion, although it was good, nothing was really explained and Rose was just making everything too easy.**_

_**I'm kind of afraid that it will end up TOO close to the original script, so I'm trying to change it around a bit. It's more the emotions you should pay attention to. But hopefully it will show you how much Rose had changed in the two years since she started travelling.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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><p>.<p>

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***The Unexpected Visitor***

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**Dying**

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Rose slowly dragged herself into her house. It had been a long, exhausting and disappointing day.

They were certain that the dimension cannon was ready. But something was stopping it from working. It was like after the breach had closed and the jump refused to work. This meant that she'd only be able to get back when the walls between the worlds were weak… and she didn't exactly want that.

Well, she did, because she wanted to get back. But if that did happen, it could only mean that something horrible was happening. And she'd learnt the hard and heartbreaking way, that not even the Doctor could stop everything.

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It had been a year since the painful day she'd been trapped here. A whole year of being broken. She'd tried, she really did. She did it for her family's sake, and Mickey's sake… and the Doctor's sake. They all worried about her, so she tried to act like she wasn't slowly dying.

She went to work at Torchwood (the closest she could get to the life she longed for, and her only salvation, her only chance to get back), she went out with the few friends she had, and she played with her baby brother… She lived the fantastic life _he_ had asked of her. Or at least she _tried_ to live the fantastic life. But it didn't _feel_ fantastic or brilliant.

She felt like her mind and heart were slowly being ripped apart. She felt empty. It was as if she were missing something inside her. Yes, she felt empty and broken from the loss of her Doctor… but it was something else too.

A lot of the time she felt as if she were drowning, that her oxygen was being taken away, suffocating her. It was the same feeling. It was like her life line was slowly being dragged away from her, killing her painfully and slowly. And it was only getting worse.

She was sick. Badly sick. She'd tried to hide it from her family, but they had noticed. They had noticed the fevers and deliriums. The occasional hallucinations or seizure. The days when her migraines were so crippling she wanted nothing more than to curl in a ball and scream. Yet, still she went on.

Grief causes sickness. People could die of grief… her family thought that perhaps grief was the cause. Because the doctors' could find nothing wrong with her… that they would tell her anyway. (They had said that something was not right with her brain scans and her DNA, but that the differences to a normal human weren't harmful. In the end she had chalked it up to side effects from travelling in the TARDIS).

But people only died of grief when they gave up. She hadn't given up. She refused to. She wouldn't give up until she was safe and happy in his arms once more.

.

But right now she was too tired and so sick that she fell on the couch and was unconscious in seconds.

**?...DW…?**

Rose was woken by singing. It was a familiar song… an eerily haunting tune. She'd heard it before, but she just couldn't place where.

The next thing she noticed was that she didn't feel quite so broken or sick. She found that she could almost breath normally again and that her near constant headaches were gone. She almost felt whole again.

And the third… was a golden glow in the middle if the room. The cloud of golden dust like energy swirled around for a moment before it clumped together, and with a final flash, formed into a rather familiar looking woman.

The woman gasped as she came into being and immediately fell to the floor. Rose rushed over to help her up… only to see that the woman was her. The other her looked younger, only about nineteen or twenty. (Okay, so she hadn't really changed appearance wise since then anyway. But there was something about her that just screamed 'young'. And the clothes she was wearing were setting alarm bells off in her mind). But she couldn't be, because if she were younger, then surely she would remember this. So she could only be her future… Either way, she was crossing her timeline. This was very risky.

"Oh… that's a new feeling," the other she said. She pulled a face, almost as if she were startled at her own voice. She was very shaky on her feet and almost fell over again. She let out another sharp gasp as she doubled over. "Oh, and it hurts! Just wait until I get my hands on that stupid Master… If I still have hands when I get back."

"Wh - what?" Rose asked in confusion.

"Rose!" the other her suddenly cried in delight , as if she'd finally noticed her. "Thank Rassilon you're still alive! Sorry, I was cutting it so close, but I haven't been able to do it till now. Wow, this talking thing is _fun!_" Experimentally the other Rose began to flex her jaw and pull funny faces.

"Okay…" the normal Rose dragged out the word. "Either I'm insane in the future, or you're not me."

"Not you? Of course I'm not you! I mean, I know how closely we're-" Suddenly she stopped when she saw her reflection in a mirror. Hesitantly she reached up and felt her face. Then a loud high pitch squeal came from her lips. "I look like my human!" she yet again seemed delighted about this.

"So, who are you then?" Rose asked, ignoring the possessive way it appeared the being who looked like her had claimed her.

"I'm-" she paused as if she couldn't quite remember. "Oh what do you call me? I'm blue… we travel… I go-" Rose jumped a mile in the air when the familiar sounds of the TARDIS dematerialising came from the other her's mouth.

"The TARDIS?" she said in shocked disbelief.

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Yes, that's it. Names are funny. It's me. I'm the TARDIS."

Rose sat down weakly. "What? But how? And why do you look like me?"

"That one's easy," the TARDIS told her. "I couldn't just - poof! - get a body. I needed energy and DNA and a whole bunch of other stuff your mind won't comprehend yet. Since you're the only one who's ever actually touched me, it was the only DNA I could use. Though, I'm afraid I'm terribly weak. I'm using what little energy I have left to do this-" Suddenly she whimpered in pain and sunk down into the couch with Rose.

"Are you okay?" Rose said in concern, her hands flitting over the her shaped TARDIS.

"I'll be okay eventually," she tried for a smile, a weak one which Rose knew all too well was covering up the pain. "Just, an insane Time Lord - and for once I don't mean the Doctor - has stolen me and turned me into a paradox machine."

"Oh, that's _not_ good."

"No, it's not. But it's worth it. The paradox has weakened the walls between the universes. It's the only way I could get here. I'm so glad I did." The TARDIS took a long pause. "The Doctor and I can't live without our human. We hate it. And you feel the same. But you, Rose Tyler, literally can't live without us… well, me."

"Literally, huh?" Rose raised her eyebrows in question. She was trying to hide her worry. There was so much wrong with this… but somehow she couldn't help but be overjoyed and excited. She knew something was about to change.

She was talking to the TARDIS for god's sake!

"You've already noticed it, haven't you?" the TARDIS asked her. "Ever since I've been here you haven't felt quite as sick. You've been sick for a long time haven't you?" Rose nodded, but then stopped as she was shocked by the TARDIS's next words. "You were dying."

"What?" she said.

"For the past year you've been slowly dying," the TARDIS paused a while to think how to say this before continuing. "You weren't meant to live after the Game Station. You shouldn't have been able to survive holding the Time Vortex within you. Only I can do that… And you didn't. You didn't survive. But the Doctor and I, we both loved you so much. We couldn't let you die. He gave up one of his regenerations to at least take it out of you. He hoped he could save you, but he knew you would die. And he didn't want to go on like that without you.

He didn't understand how you survived. He thought there must have been something _very_ special about you. And he was right. Because no other human would give up their life like that to save him. No one else had ever won the heart of the TARDIS - my heart. And you did Rose. I love you as much as he does. I couldn't stand to see you die, to see the devastation it would cause him.

So I bonded myself to you… I've never bonded to anyone before. Not the way we are. The Doctor and I are bonded, when he dies I will die too, but if I die he will live on. Our bond… we can only die when the other does. Our separation through the Void… it was slowly killing the both of us. But this universe's time is acting differently. It would have taken a couple of years for me to die. But you… I'm surprised you lasted a year. I'm glad. You're a fighter."

"I'm sorry. Wh - what?" Rose cried in disbelief. She could hardly comprehend what she was hearing. Her world felt like it were spinning. But it made so much sense. "So I'm bonded to you - to the TARDIS, because I died. And the only thing _keeping_ me alive is being near you?"

"Yes."

"So, you're taking me home?" she couldn't the hope creeping into her voice.

"No."

"No?"

"I can't," the TARDIS whispered. "I want to, but I can't. I don't have enough energy. I wouldn't be able to bring your physical form across the Void without killing you. But there is something I can do. I can stop it."

"You can stop what?" Rose asked in the same quiet tone.

"Well, technically speaking, I can't. But I can help you stop it. Canary Warf, the separation, we can stop it from ever happening. And much more."

"How?" Rose asked eagerly. She trusted the TARDIS… which was a good thing. Because at this point she would try anything, even if it was dangerous. "We won't have to worry about Reapers, will we?"

"No, we won't. Because Reapers only clean up if time has been disrupted. But we're not disrupting it, we're rewriting it... It'll be a completely natural occurrence. The only part of you I can take back is your mind. And not only that, but the only way to ensure we _don't_ disrupt _anything_ is to take you all the way back… Back to the first time you set foot in the TARDIS."

"So I'm pretty much going to relive my life from after I met the Doctor?" The TARDIS nodded. "And I could change things? Save innocent lives?"

"As long as it doesn't affect the timelines," she smiled, glad that Rose was still just as compassionate. That her years here in the parallel world hadn't hardened her.

"And how will I know if it's going to affect the timelines?" Rose asked, her brows crumpling together. She had no way of knowing what the timelines would do. What if she screwed it all up?

"I'll be with you in your head," the TARDIS told her. "You'll have to figure things out on your own. But I can talk to you when you're inside the TARDIS. And I can send you little mental nudges to warn you if you're not."

"Okay," she nodded in understanding.

"Other than major things, try and keep everything else the same as possible. The Doctor can't know about it. That is very important. Oh! But one thing here and now," the TARDIS grinned Rose's cheeky tongue in cheek smile. "When he asks you to travel with him, don't accept right away. Let him ask a second time, again."

"Why?"

"Because he's never asked anyone _twice_ before. You're the first and only. He thinks about that a lot."

Rose smiled. She couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered madly about every time the TARDIS told her that the Doctor loved her, or mentioned how much he cared. There were still times, even now, that she doubted he ever could. After all, she was only a human.

Only a human who was bonded with the TARDIS in a way not even he was…

"Hold on!" she gasped. "So you die when the Doctor does?" TARDIS nodded. "And I live as long as you… then…?"

"You will live as long as the Doctor. As long as I'm okay, yes. You won't age past a few more years. You can be hurt, but you won't die. It's the separation that kills us. If he left you behind - which he would never do - or if I died, you would be dead within the year… I'm sorry, it was the only way."

"Do I look like I'm complaining?" she laughed with happy tears welling in her eyes.

"No, I didn't think you would," the TARDIS smiled softly.

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"So when do we go… how do we go? Should I say goodbye to everyone?"

"You can if you want. But we're - hopefully - effectively cutting this reality from existence. You will be the only one who will remember it. But you can say goodbye if it helps you."

"It's okay," she said. "I've been with them a whole year. I want my Doctor. Besides, I'll see them when I get back, won't I?"

The TARDIS gave her that same familiar soft smile she saw in the mirror. "So you're ready, then?" She could practically taste her human's excitement. "Now, remember, when you get back we won't be linked physically anymore. Not until you absorb the Time Vortex again. But we will be linked mentally."

Rose nodded and the TARDIS placed her hands on her temples.

Rose felt a harsh jolt in her mind…

And she was gone.


	2. Rose, The Beginning

_**Hello! And here's the next part. I'm kind of afraid that I stuck a little too close to the script. I wanted to show how much she has changed since she first met hi, and for her to start setting things right. But she cant let him know, so I cant make it too obvious.**_

_**Seriously, I'm a little bit worried about it. So the more feedback I get the better. If you have any suggestions or advice I would LOVE to hear it. I'd like to know if this one is going okay.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

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><p>.<p>

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***Rose***

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**The Beginning**

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Rose could feel the TARDIS with her as her mind twirled and tumbled and fell through the Void and Space and Time. She felt it all pass by and her head - or what she imagined would be her head if she still had a body - twinged in pain. She spun faster and faster and finally, with another jolt, she slammed back into her body.

But it felt different, it was younger, softer… a little weaker.

She became aware that she was running and as her consciousness took control, she jolted to a stop.

The first thing she noticed in her head was that her mind was a mix of the new and old. She had all her memories, all her feelings and mindset from the last three years. She even had the same open mindedness, her willingness to accept the strange, and to do anything for the Doctor.

At the same time she could feel her innocence. Part of her mid was still 19. She hadn't possessed herself or taken over, she had become herself… only more so.

She also felt something else, a soft and gentle presence nudging at the back of her mind. It felt safe and warm… a lifeline. The TARDIS hummed to her reassuringly.

'_Good luck,_' the TARDIS whispered in her mind. It was no longer just Rose's voice she spoke with. Instead it was an eerie multitude of women's voices, like she had picked up the voice of every woman who'd ever been on board.

It only took a second to realise all this, and in the next she was staring around open mouthed at the home she thought she'd never see again. She basked in its aqua glow as she watched a familiar form with dark short cropped hair, large ears and a leather jacket dance around the console.

"Don't worry, it wont follow us," he told her, in his northern accent. "The assembled hoard of Genghis Khan couldn't get through those doors, and believe me, they've tried." He attached the head to the console. "You see, the arm is too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source." He ran about for a few more seconds before he stopped. "Right," he suddenly cried turning to face her. "Where do you want to start?"

"Well, it could be bigger," she teased, knowing how much he loved the surprised exclamation of 'it's bigger on the inside'.

"Oi," he cried indignantly. "She is just the right size, thank you very much."

"I agree, even if it is a little smaller on the outside." The Doctor looked at her in bewilderment at the reversed statement. She felt a little guilty about calling the TARDIS 'It', but a small hum in her mind let her know that the TARDIS didn't mind. "It's alien, and so are you," she said adamantly.

"Yes," he told her with a smile. "Is that alright?"

"Yeah," she grinned. "It's fantastic… Brilliant, Molto bene!"

"It's called the TARDIS, this thing. T-A-R-D-I-S, that's Time And Relative Dimension In Space." Rose could no longer hold back the joy full sob that had been threatening her for the last few minutes. This was all too good to be true. And here was the Doctor before her, the old one who she still sometimes missed. "That's okay," he said misunderstanding her 'distress'. "Culture shock. Happens to the best of us."

"Are you kidding me? This is brilliant!" she cried and suddenly launched at him, taking him in a suffocating hug. The Doctor stood there in utter shock and bewilderment, his arms held out from his sides awkwardly as she held on to him.

"Err…" he said. Hesitantly he let one of his hands pat her on the back in a sort of 'there, there' gesture.

Rose grinned madly until she peeked over his shoulder and saw the head of the plastic Mickey head bubbling and leaking some sort of fluid. "Ah, Doctor, Mickey's melting," she told him.

"What?" he said, still rather surprised from the hug and confused by what she meant. "Melt?" She let him go and pointed to the melting blob. "Oh, no, no, no, no, NO!" he cried rushing over to it. He ran frantically around the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers. Rose had to try her hardest not to laugh. She didn't realise till now _quite_ how much she had really missed this… missed _him_, the old him. "The signal's fading!" he cried. "Wait… I've got it… No, no, no, no, no, no!" The TARDIS began to shake as she moved. Rose clung to a coral pillar and smiled. "Almost there! Almost there! Here we go!"

The second they landed she opened the door and he ran past her and out. Still smiling she followed.

"I lost the signal, I got _so_ close!" he wined.

"Right so… I'm guessing the rest of Mickey's body melted with the head, yeah?" she asked. She already knew the answer, but she had to question things or she knew he'd get suspicious. The Doctor was very perceptive.

"Yes," he said in a hard voice.

"And there's a chance that he's still alive right?"

"He could be, but I'm a little too busy to worry about some kid called Mickey!" he said grumpily. She'd forgotten how moody and condescending he had been at the start.

"He's not a kid," she said.

"Look!" he yelled, more in frustration than anything. "I'm too busy trying to save the life of every _stupid_ ape blundering on top of this planet, alright?"

"Alright?" she cried. It had been ages since she'd heard him say that, and had forgotten how much it had annoyed her.

"Yes! It is!" he said.

"We're not _'stupid _apes', and Mickey is just as important as everyone else! You sanctimonious annoying Ti- Ugh! _Alien!"_ She cried at him. The Doctor just looked at her in bewilderment. She shook her head and took a deep breath. She didn't want to fight with him, but the younger part of her still wanted to struggle against how horrible he had been to Mickey. She needed to lighten the mood. Thankfully her younger side's curiosity gave her a reminder of something that would be one of her favourite jokes. "So, if you're an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?" she said.

"Lots of planets have a North," he said defensively, crossing his arms and standing in his favourite broody pose. How to soften him up…? Used to be a smile, but it was too early for that. The TARDIS.

"What's a Police Phone Box?"

"It's a telephone box from the 1950's," he grinned, patting the TARDIS fondly. "It's a disguise."

Rose giggled and shook her head at his goofy grin. There was the Doctor she loved. "Yeah? Fix the chameleon circuit, then it will be a disguise," she said quietly.

"What?"

"This living plastic, what's it got against us?"

"Nothing, it loves you," he told her. "You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air... perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth... dinner!"

"And how are we going to stop it? Anti-plastic?" she said sarcastically. She smiled knowing it was true.

"Yep," he grinned.

"Seriously?" she acted taken aback.

"Ah-huh, Anti-plastic!"

"Anti-plastic…"

"Anti-plastic!" he cried again. "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" he started to walk over to the bridge to look out over the Themes.

"What? The transmitter?"

"Yeah. It'll be round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London." He turned around to face her, agitation written across his face, the London Eye looming up behind him. "A huge circular metal structure… like a dish… like a wheel. Close to wear we're standing. Must be _completely _invisible!"

Rose tried not to giggle at the sight of her beloved 'daft faced' Doctor standing obliviously before the London Eye. Instead she just raised an eyebrow and nodded for him to turn around. He did so, completely missed it, and turned back.

"What?" he said obliviously.

"For a genius, you sure can be thick!" she laughed. The Doctor frowned in an almost pouting manor, then looked around and back again.

"_What?"_ He looked again, but still missed it. She began to laugh harder, still trying to indicate to him to turn around. "What is it? _**What?**_" he exclaimed. When she only continued to giggle her turned for the fourth time and it finally clicked. "Oh… Fantastic!"

In the next second he had grabbed her hand and they were running across the bridge. The feel of his comfortable, familiar hands nearly bought tears to her eyes. She had missed this so much. Yet she felt a little guilty, because she felt rather hollow knowing that they weren't the long slender fingers she craved to twine hers through. Was that wrong? Missing someone who was (technically) right beside you?

But she did love this Doctor. And she loved her Doctor. She would miss this him when he was gone. She knew she would, and just how much. And he only had a year left. Someday soon he would change into the man she utterly and completely loved. So she made the decision then and there. She was going to make the best of the time she had left with this him.

When he changed, she would have no regrets.

**?...DW…?**

When they got to the base of the Eye, the Doctor began looking around. "Think of it," he cried at her. "Plastic, all over the world. Every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…"

"The breast implants," she joked. Still the Doctor searched around. Whereas, Rose, knowing where to go, went to the edge of a wall where she knew the manhole was.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"Well it's not like Big-Bad-Plastic-Thingy is gonna be as obvious as the transmitter, is it? So it's gotta be hiding, yeah?" Internally she berated herself. She was acting far too familiar. But it was a habit, she couldn't just turn it off! She had to try and force herself to seem less conspicuous.

"Exactly," he grinned happily at her. "I was just looking for something." She could hear the surprise and approval in his voice, much like the - now rather fresh - memory of him congratulating her on her 'student' theory.

"Great minds think alike," she grinned at him.

"Yeah, you _wish_ your mind was this great!" he teased.

"Anyway," she laughed. "I was thinking down here." She pointed to the manhole.

"Fantastic!"

Soon they were down there, using the sonic-screwdriver to open it. Yet again, she found herself grinning ecstatically at the sound of something so familiar. And they were in. Red steam billowed up to meet them and together they jumped down and descended a few stairs. Their eyes were instantly drawn to a large vat of burning, boiling orangey… stuff.

"The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat," the Doctor said nodding down to it. "A living plastic creature."

Rose remembered the first time she had seen it. She didn't quite see how it could have been an alien, bit she had been willing to believe him based on the ominous stirring and the fact that she already trusted him. Now there was no way to mistake that it was an alien. How could it not be?

She remembered the Doctor had snapped at her when she told him to hurry up and kill it so they could leave. Despite the fact she knew the Nestene's intentions, she was better than that. And this was her chance to change things. There was always the chance that it would change its mind this time.

"Alright, let's go and tell it to leave this planet alone," she said starting off.

"What, wouldn't you rather just kill it and be done?" he said with a hint of bitterness. She knew he was thinking of how humans could destroy. Thinking that no matter how different she seemed, she was still just another stupid ape. She kept forgetting how cynical and broken he had been that first month.

"You gotta give it a chance," she echoed his own unspoken words back at him. He stared at her in shock as she headed down the rest of the stairs, till there was only one more flight before the platform. Snapping to his senses, he followed.

"I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract," he said formally as he leaned over a rail. "According to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation." Below him the Consciousness wobbled around in its way of speaking. A small hissing 'yes' reached his ears. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rose's head snap up in surprise. She had been in his TARDIS for all of five minutes. She couldn't possibly have already picked up the telepathic language translator, could she? "Thank you. That I might have permission to approach?" But before he could see the reply a desperate cry sounded through the chamber.

"Rose!" someone cried. She turned to see Mickey clinging to the rail behind her. It was a shock to see him so young and scared and innocent. Back in Pete's world he was so confident, and he had seen so much working for Torchwood. It was incredible how much he had changed. But despite the horrors he had been through to get that way, it was a change for the better.

"Mickey," she smiled in relief as she went to him. "It's okay, you're alright," she soothed.

"That thing down there," he squeaked in panic, "the liquid, Rose - it can talk!"

"You're stinking!" she cried, crinkling her nose as his sweat assaulted her. "At least you're alive. Come on, up you get. Time to be a big boy, yeah." She helped him get shakily to his feet as the Doctor jumped the last flight of stairs to address the Consciousness. She felt herself become anxious remembering how he had almost been thrown over that rail-less ledge. She found herself slowly inching to where she knew the chain hung.

"Am I addressing the Consciousness?" the Doctor asked. "Thank you," he said at the hissing growl that filled the air. Once again, Rose heard this as actual words. "If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warped, shunt technology. So, may I suggest - with the greatest respect - that you shunt off?" He grinned goofily at his own pun and Rose couldn't help but roll her eyes. She listened as the Consciousness tried to defend its actions. "Oh, don't give me that! It's an _invasion_, plain and simple! Don't talk to me about constitutional rights!" The vat of Nestene roared a few not nice words and reared up. "I. Am. Talking!" the Doctor shouted at it, his voice dripping with authority. "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk. But they are capable of so much more. I'm asking on their behalf - please, just go."

Once again, she saw the Autons too late. "Doctor!" she cried in warning. But they already had grabbed hold of him, one arm each. They searched his pockets, pulling out the Anti-plastic, and she groaned. This was how it started.

"That was just insurance!" the Doctor said almost desperately as he strained against his captors. "I wasn't going to _use_ it!" The Consciousness thrashed and gurgled angrily, yelling it's disbelief at the Doctor. "I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear I'm not-" he cut off as the Consciousness spat over top of him. "What do you mean?" he said in worried confusion. On their level, above the Doctor, some doors opened to reveal the TARDIS.

"Mickey, go to the TARDIS," she whispered to him as the Doctor argued over his ship.

"What?"

"That blue box. Go to it. Now."

"But-"

"Now!" she commanded, giving him a push towards it. he shuffled the rest of the way, looking much like a dog with its tail between its legs. The sight was almost funny. She had grown so used to the sight of a Mickey - well, a Mickey that actually had a backbone.

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"That's not true!" the Doctor yelled from below her. "I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault! I couldn't save your world. I couldn't save any of them!" This time she paid close attention to his words. She could hear the raw grief in them. And this time, she knew exactly what he was talking about.

The Conciousness roared at them. "No, no, don't!" he pleaded. "Rose! The Nestene has identified the TARDIS as superior technology - it's terrified! It's going to the final base. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it! Now!" Rose just smiled, even as the Consciousness sent the signal and the Eye started transmitting. "Get out, Rose! Just get out! Run!"

"Not likely!" she laughed picking up the axe and hacking at the chain, she wasn't sure if he heard her or not, but she had been loud enough that he would have. But her next words were definitely too quiet. "I've changed a bit. Technically, I got my A Levels. I'm braver. I… was stronger - gonna have to build that up again. But if there's some things that haven't changed. I still got guts. I still know what's right. And I still got bronze in the Junior Under 7's gymnastics!"

With that, she pulled the chain free and swung. She swooped right down towards the Doctor and kicked at one of the Autons. It was the one holding the Anti-plastic and it fell straight into the vat of the Nestene Consciousness. It allowed the Doctor to throw the other Auton over with the other. Rose swung far out and when she came back in she was caught in the Doctor's strong arms.

Below them the Consciousness started to writhe and scream. And the signal cut off. "Now we're in trouble," the Doctor grinned at her. Grabbing her hand, they ran up the few stairs up to the TARDIS as the place began to collapse around them as the Consciousness exploded. The Doctor pushed a side a cowering Mickey who was clinging to the TARDIS and let them in. still grinning, Rose helped Mickey up and pulled him inside, closing the door behind them. She could feel the shudder of the place collapsing as they dematerialised. - Yes, she knew the TARDIS so well that she could tell what was an explosion, or someone moving them, or what was just the TARDIS.

**?...DW…?**

"Oh my god. It's - it's - it's - it's-"

"Bigger on the inside?" Rose said innocently as she grinned at a totally stunned Mickey who had pressed himself against the wall.

"But that's not possible!" he squeaked. She saw the Doctor roll his eyes.

"Yeah, it is," she scoffed. "It's dimensionally transcendental."

"How do you know that?" the Doctor asked, snapping round to look at her in suspicion.

"It-it's in the name… Time And Relative Dimension… Hey, I read!" she cried indignantly trying hard to cover her slip up.

The Doctor just stared at her critically as the TARDIS whirred around them. "Something's different about you," he said finally.

"What?" she acted taken aback.

"Your eyes, they're different."

"But they _can't_ be different. I like hazel eyes. I have _pretty_ hazel eyes," she pouted, trying a different technique. One she knew would work.

"No, no, they're the same colour," he assured her, coming a little closer to her with his hands out trying to calm her. Falling hook line and sinker for the distraction bait. "You have pretty hazel eyes. They're _very _pretty." He suddenly stopped awkwardly as he realised how honestly he was saying that. It sounded quite forward, and soon he'd found himself attempting not to flounder over his words like a fish. He looked relived when the grouching engines indicated they had arrived.

Mickey was the first to bolt from the door. He stumbled out into the alleyway, falling over then backed himself against the wall. Rose just strolled out casually. It wasn't seconds later that her phone rang. It gave her a fright, she hadn't had that phone in a very long time.

"Rose? Rose!" her mother's voice called down the phone line when she answered. She almost felt guilty. She had completely forgotten that her mother had been involved in this crisis. "You won't believe what just happened. I was out doing some shopping. And all these shop window dummies started moving! We thought it was just kids dressed up, pulling a prank. But then they smashed the windows and suddenly collapsed. There wasn't anyone in them!" Jackie cried. Rose tried to stifle her laugh. "Oh, I tell you what, Love, you _can_ get compensation. I said so. I've got this document thing off the police. Don't thank me-"

Still smiling, Rose hung up on her mother's rant. The smile grew wider as she took in her mother's words. The Autons hadn't gone on some big rampage. London was still in one piece and no one would have gotten hurt. She had done it! She turned to celebrate with the others, but seeing Mickey, she remembered they wouldn't know what she was celebrating.

"Fat lot of good you were!" she laughed at Mickey, helping him up. He whimpered as he slumped back down at her feet again. She giggled at turned to face the TARDIS where the Doctor had just come to stand in the doorway.

"Nestene Consciousness? Easy," he grinned smugly, clicking his fingers.

"You were useless in there," she teased. "You'd be dead if it wasn't for me." Oh, she'd missed teasing him. She couldn't remember a day with him that she hadn't teased him about _something!_

"Yes, I would. Thank you," he said sincerely. "Right then!" he said jumping back to the Doctor that covered real emotions with jokes and sarcastic comments. But it didn't last long. "I'll be off! Unless, ah… I don't know… you could come with me."

She had to snap her mouth shut so she didn't blurt out the 'yes' that was dancing on her lips. She hadn't even realised that she'd taken a small step forward. No! She couldn't give in yet. The TARDIS had said to let him ask again… God, she hoped he _did_ ask again. She should- No, just wait.

"This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe, free of charge," he tried to entice her. And god, it was so hard to keep her feet firmly planted as it was. Mickey quickly helped with that when he threw his arms around her hips, clinging to her legs.

"Don't! He's an alien! He's a thing!" he cried. Rose had to hold back the bitter comment. She knew he was only a young Mickey, but it still made her angry to hear him insult the Doctor.

"He's _not_ invited," the Doctor said in annoyance. The smile returned as he looked back at her. "What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go, ah… anywhere." She knew that he could easily see the longing in her eyes. I was taking all she had not to scream 'yes' and run to him and tell him she would never ever leave him. And yes, this was one time that she _could_ say 'never ever'.

"I - I can't," she stuttered. "I've - I've, um… I've gotta go make sure mum's okay. And - and, um… someone's got to look after this stupid lump… So… I-" '_I wanna go with you. Please take me with you. Please, look, I'm lying. Please, Doctor, PLEASE come back for me!'_ She begged silently.

"Okay," the Doctor said, hiding his disappointment. "See you around." They locked eyes for a long desperate moment before he turned back inside the TARDIS and she disappeared.

Rose took a deep breath and closed her eyes, praying with all her might that he really did come back. If they were changing history, then he could very well decide that she had wanted to come with him, but just down right refused. That she would only turn him down again and there was no point in trying. (How was she supposed to know that at that very moment, the Doctor was trying to convince himself that he was only going back to ask her _one _more time. He was trying his hardest to push away the little voiced in the back of his head telling him that he would go back and ask her as many times as it took for her to say yes. There was something different about her… even before she had strangely changed on him. She was good.) Still, even if he didn't come back, there was one thing she could change.

She took Mickey's arms from around her waist and turned to him as she helped him up. She really felt she should be more upset about this, but she had been seeing him as a brother for the last two and a half years. She couldn't lead him on like she did last time. He didn't deserve that. "Look, Mickey," she said to him softly. "I - I don't think we should do this anymore. Us." She held up her hand as he made to protest, hurt on his face. "I love you. I really do, just… not the way you want me to. You deserve so much better than me. And you can't just sit around waiting for someone who's running around caught in something that's so much bigger than we could possibly have imagined. I haven't treated you right, and I wanna fix that. You're my best friend, and you gotta let me look out for you for once. But I can't-"

She was cut off by the sounds of the TARDIS materialising back where she had been a moment before. An ecstatic grin lit up her face.

"By the way," the Doctor popped his head out. "Did I mention, it also travels in time?" He grinned at her knowingly (because he knew that she would follow) and went back in. leaving the door open so that it was still her choice.

Rose smiled at him then she turned back to Mickey. "Thanks," she told him quietly, kissing him on the cheek.

"For what?" he said in hurt bewilderment, his arms hanging oddly just out from his body as she stepped out of them.

"Exactly. I'll be back in a year." With that, she tuned and ran the few shot steps into the TARDIS, a broad smile on her face. She stopped when she reached the console and the smile became impossibly wider. She was home. She was finally, and properly home.


	3. End of the World, Knowing More

_**Hello! Welcome to the End of the World. If you have a teleportation device to leave this story, I will throw you from the air lock! Na, just kidding, I could never be that mean.**_

_**So, I've been working on finding that balance. And I think I might have it. I don't know, tell me what you think.**_

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><p>.<p>

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***End of the World***

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**Knowing More**

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"Right then, Rose Tyler - you tell me, where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. What's it going to be?" The Doctor asked, the second she reached the console.

"Definitely forward," she told him.

"How far?"

"Far as you like," he grinned. Last time she faintly recalled that they had stopped three times before she actually got out. He just kept showing off. Madly he began rushing about, turning knobs and pressing buttons. Pumping at that squeaky thing (his words). Then they stopped with a lurch.

"There you go," he grinned. "Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005. The New Roman Empire."

"You're kidding!" she exclaimed, acting disbelieving. She saw the smug, self satisfied grin plastered on his face and laughed. "Oh, you think that you're so impressive!"

"I _am_ so impressive," he said defensively. She had learnt soon after that it was only her that could get him to sound that indignant and pout so fast.

"You wish!" she teased. "Come on, what's the best you've got!"

"Alright, Rose Tyler, you asked for it. I know exactly were to go," he grinned. He began the dance around the TARDIS again and soon they were landing. The Doctor gestured towards the doors.

"Where are we?" Rose asked excitedly. It was genuine excitement, even if it didn't fit with the words. She couldn't believe she was back here. She was actually going to be able stop deaths… she may even actually see the world explode this time… Although, she didn't really know if that was a good or bad thing. "What's out there?" The Doctor just gestured again and still acting excited, she ran out.

Once again she found herself in that room. The Doctor followed her out and used the sonic screwdriver to open the viewing window. They walked down the steps to the window and once again her breath was taken away by the spectacular view of the Earth, with a huge dying sun right behind it.

"You lot," the Doctor said affectionately. "You spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take the time to imagine the impossible. Maybe you survive. This is the year 5.5/apple/26. Five billion years in your future. This is the day… hold on…" he looked at his watch and Rose smiled. "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

"I don't think about dying," she told him calmly. He raised his eye brows in surprise. _That_ had been what she picked up on? But her next statement made his eyebrows rise higher. "I'm not afraid of dying."

"Really?" he asked. "Then what are you afraid of?"

"Leaving people behind," she said. "Leaving them alone. No one deserves to be alone." She saw a look pass across his face at that. But still she kept staring out at the huge orange sun. "Imagine what it would be like, separated from the person you care most about in the entire universe. They're not dead, you know they're not. And that makes it even worse, because you know that they are alone. Feeling just as lost and hurt as you are…"

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," he noted softly.

Rose finally looked at him and flashed him a rather weak smile. "Na, I'm just 19. This is the biggest thing that's ever happened to me. It's just a fear… well, my biggest one."

Beside her the Doctor frowned. There really was something different about her. But in the end, he gave up looking for what it was and headed for the doors and down the corridors. She ignored the announcement that came over the speakers as they walked the clean corridors.

"So, what is all of this?" Rose asked. She hated having to play the dumb card. It was going to bug her for the next two years. But she could deal with it if it meant she got to spend forever with the Doctor. "Some sort of party for people to come and watch the world go 'boom'?"

"Pretty much, yeah," the Doctor said taking out his sonic-screwdriver to open the door that would lead to the main viewing platform. "The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

"What for?" she asked. Half of her memories of this day were fairly hazy. It was hard trying to recall every detail of a conversation you'd had three years ago. But she smiled when she got the feeling of déjà vu accompanying that line.

"Fun," he replied grinning as the door slid open. Together they walked into the huge viewing room where all the guests would soon be gathering. "Mind you," he tacked on. "When I say the 'great and the good', what I mean is, the rich. There's gonna be all sorts of people."

"You mean aliens," Rose grinned.

"Yep… but who knows, maybe we will get some human people."

"Yeah, I doubt it," she muttered under her breath. There was no way in hell she was even considering Cassandra as a human… even if she had seen her _before _she became a blinkin' trampoline. They walked closer to the main window. The sun could be seen like an explosion, looming over the planet. "God, it's beautiful," she said. "It's strange, thinking that it's gonna be different. That sun's been there for billions and billions of years. And then it starts to… die and millions of years later it just…"

"Turns into a red giant and destroys majority of the planets around it. Mercury, Venus and Mars are already gone," he told her. "The planet's the property of the National Trust. They're been keeping it preserved, using gravity satellites to hold back the sun."

"What?" she snorted. "And they just 'put the countries back in their right place'? I thought the continents should have shifted."

"They did… to both… The continents shifted, and the Trust moved them back. That down there is a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, so nature takes its course."

"Right… nature… And _when_ does that happen exactly?"

The Doctor looked down at his watch. "About half an hour. And then the planet gets _roasted!_" he grinned manically. She noted that it wasn't quite as maniacal as his next one would be, but it still made her want to smile herself.

"So, the Earths about to go 'bye bye', you can't stop it because it's time's up, this is some sort of party to… celebrate the fact it's not gonna be there anymore… Where are all the people?" she asked. She knew of course. About now they would be settling down somewhere on New Earth.

"Left. All gone," he replied. "Packed up and moved. Settled down in colonies on planets, in spaceships. You humans are _everywhere_."

"Mmm, we may just be stupid apes, but you love us," she teased, giving him her tongue in teeth grin. The wide grin he had on his face at that dropped when a voice came from behind them.

"Who the hell are you?" They turned to see the blue skinned Steward striding towards them.

"Oh, that's nice. Thanks," the Doctor said sarcastically.

"But how did you get in?" the Steward snipped. "This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked! They're on their way any second now!"

"That's me. Look, I've got an invitation," the Doctor said holding up the psychic paper. "Look, there you see? Its fine, you see. The Doctor, plus one. I'm the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler. She's my plus one. That alright?"

"Well… obviously," the Steward said stiffly. He seemed awkward and slightly embarrassed. Rose wondered if he turned purple when he blushed. "Apologies, etcetera. If you're onboard, we'd better start. Enjoy." Then he briskly walked off to the podium.

The Doctor turned to show her the psychic paper. "Nifty, that," she told him.

"Yep. It's psychic paper. Shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."

"And if you don't have time to make them see anything?"

"Then their mind fills it in for them," he told her what she already knew. Then he told her something he had never told her in the two years she'd known him. "Only utter geniuses see it blank. I only see it because I choose to."

"Full of yourself, aren't ya," she laughed. "So, what kind of alien is he?"

"Hmm, well…" the Doctor looked at the Steward a moment. "I would say he's one of the many species from Crespallion. There's three different races like him, you can tell them apart by height… only I can't remember which is which at the moment…"

"So much for genius," she teased, bumping his shoulder.

They were, once again, interrupted by the Steward as he spoke into the microphone. "We have in attendance, the Doctor and Rose Tyler. Thank you. All staff to their positions." He gave a sharp clap and soon a whole bunch or smaller blue people were scurrying about getting everything ready. Rose remembered what the Doctor had just said and realised that these people must be one of the blue races… just like that other blue woman she had met last time. The Steward encouraged them along, before turning back to the door. "And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest, represent the forest of Cheem, we have Trees. Namely Jabe, Lute and Coffa."

The doors at the end opened again and out stepped the three humanoid trees that Rose remembered last time. She felt mixed emotions at seeing Jabe again. She felt an annoying surge of jealousy when she recalled that she had flirted with the Doctor almost the whole time… and that he had flirted back. But she was also saddened that she had died. But that was one of the points of her being here again, to fix things like that. Maybe, if Jabe flirted with the Doctor again, and if she could save her, then she would have to have a go at her. She smiled at the thought. Saving a life and having a go at an annoyingly flirtatious tree… if today went well, she had a feeling she was really going to enjoy it.

She had liked last time… well, when she wasn't trapped in a room about to be killed by extreme UV rays.

"There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace," the Steward went on. "If you can keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, the Moxx of Balhoon." Out of the Door rolled the tubby blue pixy thing on his chair. Right, he had been one of the people to die in the end, if she remembered correctly.

She listened as the Steward continued to introduce all kinds of strange aliens. The Adherence of the Repeated Meme made her shudder. And when the Face of Boe came in she looked up hopefully. There had been so much she wanted to ask the Face of Boe last time she saw him… but she couldn't do anything because bloody Cassandra had control of her body.

She could practically feel the Doctor laughing at her reactions to them all, even though it was different to the first time she saw them. She was more intrigued this time. She had been too dumbfounded to appreciate who was coming in.

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She was bought out of her musings when Jabe and her two companions stepped up to them. "The gift of peace," she said to them. "I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." She reached behind her and grabbed a small pot with a twig growing in it and gave it to the Doctor.

"Thank you," he smiled at her, and then he handed the pot to Rose. "Yes, gifts… erm…" He patted down his pockets, not finding anything. "I give you in return-"

"Three hairs from my head," Rose cut him off, remembering what had happened last time. With her free hand she reached up and plucked some strands, handing them to Jabe. It almost reminded her of the Lord of the Rings movie, how Gimli had asked for Galadriel's hair.

"Thank you," Jabe smiled at her, carefully twisting the hair into a loop and placed it in a pocket. Then they moved on. Rose caught the look the Doctor was giving her.

"What?" she said indignantly. "She gave us something off a living person. At least _I_ have enough hair." The Doctor huffed and rubbed his hand over his short cropped hair. "Besides, it's better than 'air from your lungs'," she muttered.

At this his eye brows rose then drew together in confusion. What had made her say that? How could she have known that just before she had jumped in, that was _exactly_ what he was going to say?

He was distracted when the next guest rolled up. "The Moxx of Balhoon!" he cried in delight. He lent down a little so he was more on eye level with the blue alien. He didn't even notice Rose creep and hide behind him.

"My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily saliva," he chirped in reply. And with that he spat… right into the Doctor's eye.

Behind him, Rose burst into a fit of giggles, glad it wasn't her this time. "Thank you!" she laughed, popping her head over the Doctor's shoulder. But she immediately stiffened when the Adherents of the Repeated Meme approached. But all the same she plucked three hairs from her head to give to them.

"Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme," the Doctor grinned. "I bring you hair from my companion's peroxide head."

"Oi!" Rose cried indignantly as he grabbed the hairs from her and gave them to the Memes.

"A gift of peace in all good faith," the leader rasped. It held out the silver ball. The Doctor took it from them, tossing it in the air a moment. When he tried to hand it to Rose, she hesitated a moment before finally taking it. She recalled that the Doctor had told her these were how Cassandra smuggled the spiders in.

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"And last but not least," the Steward said as the Meme moved off. "Our very special guest. Ladies and Gentlemen, and Tress and Multiforms. Consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the Last Human. The Lady Cassandra O' 17!"

The doors slid open again to reveal the flat stretch of skin with lipstick and eyes that was Cassandra. The Doctor looked down to watch Rose's reaction and got a bit of a surprise. She was glaring almost coldly at the 'woman', but that look was battling it out with a look of sympathy. It was almost like she hated Cassandra, but felt sorry for her at the same time. He truly was baffled by this young girl.

"Oh, now, don't stare," Cassandra gushed. "I know. I know, it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference! Look how thin I am!" Rose's eyes widened in disbelief. She had forgotten how full of herself Cassandra had been the first time round. She could feel the Doctor shaking with silent laughter beside her. Sure… he'd think it was funny now… Wait until that cow had possessed him and was talking about how 'yum' it was being in his body. Rose was tempted to fulfil one of her daydreams then and there, and run over to Cassandra, flip her on her… back… and jump on her!

"Thin and dainty," Cassandra went on. Rose had to clench her fists and force herself to stay still so she didn't act out what was going through her mind. "I don't look a day over two thousand! Moisturise me, moisturise me," she muttered to the white suited men either side of her. One of them lifted his canister and sprayed her. "Truly, I am the Last Human. My father was a Texan. My mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honour them and," she gave a sniff, "say goodbye. Oh, no tears. No tears. I'm sorry." One of the men wiped at her eyes. "But behold! I bring gifts, from Earth itself. The last remaining ostrich egg…"

A small blue Crespallion brought it in. Rose eyed it warily; she knew something was hidden inside it. "Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils… or was that my third husband?" There were a few laughs around the room, including the Doctor's. Rose just rolled her eyes in amusement. Typical Cassandra. "Who knows? Oh don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines!" Behind her the staff wheeled in a jukebox and Rose had to suppress a grin, remembering what came next. It had amused her - now that she wasn't so horrified - that Cassandra got so many things wrong about her own culture.

"And here, another rarity. According to the archives, this was called an 'iPod'. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!"

'Tainted Love' by Soft Cell filled the room and she watched as the Doctor did a little bobbing dance. And that was just too much. That really was the cherry on top! Last time she had been so bewildered, so shocked, so overwhelmed, that she didn't notice so many of the things she just did. Couldn't appreciate them properly. But this time she could. A laugh threatened to bubble over and she clapped her hand to her mouth. It didn't do much and soon she had burst into hysterical giggles. The Doctor watched her, grinning in amusement. And soon he joined in, chucking away.

Rose couldn't stop laughing. People were starting to stare at her, so she raised a finger to him, and then ran out of the room. She ran out down to the observation room she had been in last time. She watched as the little blue staff members pushed the TARDIS out the door and she burst into fresh giggles. She realised she hadn't met that other blue woman... the plumber, this time.

It took her a while to calm down. Mostly because she kept thinking back on how funny she had found it and that she was probably going overboard. And that just made her laugh at herself… god, something was wrong with her. Who knows, maybe being in the parallel world made her insane.

She didn't much care.

**?...DW…?**

"What's so funny?" the Doctor asked with a laugh when he found her. He came and sat on the other side of the stair, just like he had last time.

"Everything!" Rose gasped out. "It's just so blimmen incredible! Just this, it's so…" sighing, she laid back so she was lying on the ground with her feet hanging over the edge.

"You're taking this pretty well," he commented. "Well, apart from that little hysterical breakdown back there."

Rose let out a small laugh… Oh, god, what was she doing? She was supposed to be making it look like this was the first time she'd ever seen a big bunch of aliens. She should be asking more questions, being curious. He'd think she were stupid, or suspect something if she just accepted everything.

"There's just… so many aliens. Just days ago I didn't even believe in them. I thought people who did were complete nutters! Now I'm the nutter… and I love it!" She turned her head from the ceiling, over to face the Doctor. The TARDIS had said that perhaps this time around she could get him to open up more. Why not now… of course, first she had to try and get the basic information out of him so she didn't slip up. "So where are you from, then?"

"All over the place," he replied nonchalantly. She remembered her question from last time and decided to try that. She didn't want to sound as if she were interrogating him for everything he was.

"Why are they all speaking English? I thought they'd be speaking… Tree-ish and stuff."

"Tree-ish!" the Doctor laughed. "Na, they are speaking their language, you just _hear_ English. It's a gift of the TARDIS. Telepathic field gets inside your brain and translates."

"Right…" she drew the word out. She knew better than to go mental this time. Plus, it was more than _just _the telepathic field inside her head now. "So… you have a telepathic, sentient ship that can turn any language in the universe into the one that you speak?"

"Yep."

"Right, because who doesn't have one of those," she said sarcastically.

"Erm, everyone but me," the Doctor told her.

"And how come you get one?"

"Because it's from my home planet."

"And where's that?" she asked. The Doctor's face fell and he floundered for a moment. Her heart broke seeing the look on his face… maybe she shouldn't do this…

"It-it's not like you'll know where it is…" he said.

"Can I at least get a name?" she asked softly.

The Doctor stared straight ahead; he nodded his head roughly as if internally battling himself. "Gallifrey," he croaked after a moment. Rose was surprised that he actually told her. She had to keep this going. She wouldn't push him too far… but if he was going to open up to her a little… The first time she had tried asking, she had pushed him and they were fighting. After he had opened up to her the tiniest bit and told her that he was the last of his kind… after that she'd felt too guilty to ask anymore. But she wanted to know…

"So you're Gallifreyan?"

"Yep," he chuckled. "But we're called Time Lords."

"Time Lords?"

"We sort of… govern over time. Prevent paradoxes and watch over."

"What's it like?"

The Doctor took a deep breath. He didn't say anything for a long time and for a moment she thought he wasn't going to answer. "Well… it's beautiful," he said quietly. She noticed that he used present-tence and her brow furrowed a moment. She plastered a soft smile on her face by the time he looked at her. "The sky's a burnt orange," he told her wistfully. "With the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever – slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow…"

He trailed off, just remembering for a moment. And Rose's heart broke. He was pretending that it still existed. Using her 'ignorance' as an excuse to believe in what he was saying. Just for a moment. "The second sun rises in the south, and the mountains just shine. The leaves on the trees are silver, and when they catch the light every morning, it looks like a forest on fire. When the autumn comes, the breeze blows through the branches like a song…" he faded off.

Rose was left staring in wonder. The young extremely curious part of her mind was pushing a question forward. She didn't want to say it. She didn't want to hurt him anymore. But she knew that she had to say it. It was what any clueless person would say in her situation. And she had to act clueless.

"Can you take me there some time?"

"Na!" he cried jumping up and walking over towards the window, just staring out at the dying planet. "Why would you want to go there? So many more exciting planets to see. Besides, I don't want to go home." If Rose hadn't known he was lying, she would never have noticed the slight quiver in his voice. She knew that right now he was trying to blink the tears from his eyes. And that shocked her. She had never really seen him cry in this incarnation. The one time she was sure she saw him cry was just before he disappeared on Dårlig Ulv Stranden.

Then it struck her. She realised why he had bought her here. He may not have done it intentionally, but he bought her here so that she could feel the pain of watching her planet burn. So that _someone_ could understand him.

She kept forgetting how different he had been at the beginning. He was a broken man. A man of pain and anger and bloodshed. He shielded away from the violence he had been a part of for so long, but he was still so angry. It wasn't until now she realised just how much he had changed since she was with him. Not even because of the regeneration, but in this incarnation. He seemed happier back then… would be happier…

Gently she laid a hand on his shoulder. He seemed to accept the comfort slightly… Then she realised she was acting like someone who knew what had really happened. Quickly she tried to turn it into a normal gesture by ripping a little tighter and giving a small chuckle.

"Hey," she said. "We don't have to go there if you don't want to. No arguing with the designated driver, right?" He gave a little chuckle at this. And she took out her phone, trying the joking tactic she had last time. "Besides, can't exactly call for a taxi… there's no signal. We're out of range… Well, only by a few billion years."

The Doctor chuckled again and turned to her, all signs of pain gone form his face. "Tell you what…" he said grabbing the phone off her and fiddling about. "With a little big of jiggery pokery…"

"Is that a technical term, 'jiggery pokery'?" she teased, just like last time.

"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery, what about you?"

"Na," she laughed. "I took hullabaloo, passed it too."

"There you go," he said handing the phone back.

Hesitantly Rose began to dial her mum's number. She tried to summon the same expression of utter wonder as the first time she had done this. So she thought about when they went to Woman Wept, the gorgeous frozen waves.

The phone picked up. "Hello?" Jackie's voice came down the line.

"Mum?" Rose said.

"Oh, what is it? What's wrong?" she complained. "What have I done now? Oh, this red top's falling to bits! You should get your money back. Go on! There must be something, you never phone in the middle of the day!"

Rose laughed and nearly cried. It was her mum. Her wonderful silly mother. Back before she started to fear for her daughter's life. Back when she hadn't seen her daughter sobbing in heartbreaking grief, or screaming from the pain of a headache, or shaking as a seizure wracked her body… Back when she was more innocent.

"What's so funny?" Jackie asked.

"Nothing! You alright, though?"

"Yeah! Why wouldn't I be?"

"What day is it?"

"Wednesday. All day," she said cheekily. "You got a hangover? Oh, I tell you what, put a quid in that lottery syndicate, I'll pay you back later."

"Yeah, um… I was just calling 'cause I might be home late. I've… I've gone out with someone. Not too sure when I'll be back." She couldn't tell her mother she would be gone for a year… not with the Doctor standing right there, smiling at her.

"Is there something wrong?" her mum asked, picking up on her tone.

"No! No I'm fine! …Top of the world!" Beside her the Doctor laughed at her joke. Handing up she turned to him.

"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill," he told her.

"That was five billion years ago," she said. Universal roaming still had her a little bit dazed. She was kind of used to it, but since she hadn't ever used it much she still found it incredible. "I just called her _through_ time. This is… This is…" The Doctor looked at her in amusement but was startled when he suddenly had her in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered. And it occurred to her only now, that she had never thanked him. She had told him she loved travelling with him, how brilliant it was, that she would never have missed it for the world… but she had never once said thank you.

Hesitantly the Doctor bought his arms up and hugged her back. "You're welcome," he told her. He didn't think he'd ever had a companion quite like Rose Tyler. "You like hugs, don't you," he laughed. Rose nodded into his shoulder, he could feel her smiling. And actually… okay, he'd never been the hugging type… ever… but he liked this. He liked the feel of someone holding him, of Rose's body pressed against his… But no one would ever know this. Because that's not who he was. It would completely ruin his reputation.

Suddenly they were jolted apart when the platform gave a huge jerking shudder. The Doctor looked at her and then around the room. "That's not supposed to happen," he said. Excitement began to stir with in him. He lived for adventure. It had been part of his life for so long that it encouraged him… He didn't know that the same went for Rose.

"_Honoured guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence, thanking you,_" the Steward said over the speaker.

His eyebrows rose at that. "Come on. Let's go." And then, they ran from the room.


	4. End ofthe World, Surprising Conversation

_**Hello again. Here's part two. Let's see if everything goes to plan shall we?**_

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**Surprising Conversation**

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"Indubitably, this is the Bad Wolf scenario-" was the first thing Rose heard as they entered the main viewing room again. She looked over to see the Moxx of Balhoon talking to the Face of Boe and smiled. All the way back here… her influence had reached all the way back here, to her first proper adventure! It was funny that she only noticed it now that she knew what the word was. Before then, they were just words.

"That wasn't a gravity pocket," the Doctor said walking straight over to a control panel. "I _know_ gravity pockets and they don't feel like that… What do you think Jabe?" he asked as he noticed the tree walk up behind them. "Listen to the engines, they've pitched up about thirty hertz, is that dodgy or what?

"It's the sound of metal, it doesn't make any sense to me," she shrugged.

"Where's the engine room?"

"I don't know… but the maintenance duct is just behind out guest suite, I could show you and… your wife?" she gestured to Rose. Rose closed her eyes, knowing what was coming next.

"Oh… she's not my wife," the Doctor said, slightly abashed. He wasn't used to people thinking they were a couple yet… of course, the more it happened, the more the two of them seemed to have protested… denial much.

"Partner?"

"No."

"Concubine?"

"Nope."

"Prostitute?"

This time Rose snapped. She had let it slide last time. But last time she hadn't been irrevocably and deeply in love with the Doctor. And their inevitable flirting did not put her in the mood to be insulted by a _tree_.

"Excuse me," she said indignantly. "There is a whole thesaurus of other words or terms you could have used and you jump to _prostitute!_ Don't know about you, but where I'm from, that's an insult. And I happen to be his _companion_. So, tell you what. You two go _pollinate_, I'm going to catch up with family. Quick word to Michael Jackson."

The Doctor looked at her with a huge grin on his face, amused by her out burst and her joke. Seeing the smile Rose lightened up and rolled her eyes at him before moving off.

"Don't start a fight," he warned. Yeah, sure, her hand would just spring right back off that piece of skin anyway. He turned to Jabe and offered her his arm. "I'm all yours."

As they turned away Rose thought that they looked like a couple going to a ball of some kind. She grinned remembering what she said last time, and decided to say it again. "And I want you home by midnight!" she said brandishing a finger at him. The Doctor just turned back to her and grinned.

**?...DW…?**

"Hello Cassandra," Rose said trying to aim for friendly, but not doing very well. "I'm Rose. Rose Tyler."

"Oh, Rose, darling! How lovely it is to see you again!" Cassandra said falsely. Rose snorted to herself. Cassandra must have thought that they'd met before and was trying to cover up with not remembering who she was. "Come, walk with me." She walked along side Cassandra while the piece of parchment rolled towards the window. "Soon, the sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die. That's where I used to live when I was a little boy, down there. Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice… I had such fun."

"Yeah, umm… you would have been a little _girl_," Rose corrected. "And you're not the last human. There are others out there, Cassandra."

Cassandra just snorted haughtily. "I am the last _pure_ human. The other's… mingled," she said in disgust. "Oh, they call themselves 'New Humans', and 'Proto-humans', and 'Digi-humans', even 'Human-ish'. But do you know what I call them? _Mongrels_."

"Okay, so while the rest of the human race is moving on, evolving to survive, you stayed the same… well, not really the same. How many operations have you had?"

"708. Next week it's 709. I'm having my blood bleached. You know, you might benefit from having some surgery. It doesn't hurt. And you could be a little flatter. You've got a bit of a chin poking out there."

"Cassandra, listen to me and get it through that jarred brain of yours," Rose said firmly. "I would rather die than be anything like you. You're just a bitchy trampoline who's lived far longer than she should and has been left behind."

"Oh, well. What do you know," Cassandra sniffed.

"A heck of a lot more than you do! I was born on that planet. And so was my mum, and so was my dad, and almost every other person I've ever known. I spent the first nineteen years of my life down on that planet. So that makes _me_ officially the last human in this room. Because you're not human anymore. You've stripped it all away. You've nipped and tucked and flattened till there's nothing left. Anything human got thrown in the bin. And I'm starting to wonder about your _humanity_ as well. All you are is skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin. Nice talking. A pleasure as always… too bad it's not the last."

And with that she stormed off. Wow, she had really ripped into her that time. She recalled saying something similar the first time, but this time she had the added knowledge of exactly who Cassandra was. And hearing her act like a complete bitch again made her remember all the horrid things she and done, and it made her so angry.

Looking back she saw Cassandra glance at the Repeated Meme and then back at her. It was as if she was waiting for Rose to leave the room…Oh, it made sense now. Last time she had ran out of the room and the Meme had locked her in the gallery and lowered the sun filter. She had made Cassandra angry, so she tried to knock her off.

And that was her downfall. If she hadn't been locked in the Gallery then she may have been able to help the Doctor more. This was the turning point. This was the part she had to change to save everybody. So she wasn't going to leave. She was going to stay right here in this room where everyone was watching.

A smile now on her face she leant against the wall, looking smugly over at Cassandra a moment before looking around the room. She had no idea when the Doctor would be back. Suddenly she was startled by a voice in her head.

"Rose Tyler," the Face of Boe chuckled as he came over. "It has been a while. Still just as beautiful as ever."

"Yeah, well, apparently I'm not going to age anymore," she joked. Then what he said clicked. "Wait a minute, I've met you before now… _am_ going to meet you before now?"

"Well, I guess by your point of view you _have_ already met me… Not that the Doctor knows that, yet. How is the plan so far?" he asked. He seemed to have a knowing look in his eyes and Rose paled.

"Oh my god, you know… how do you know that I'm…?"

"You told me, of course… well, considering I was your best friend, I did figure a bit of it out first."

"Oh…" she said at a loss of what to say. "Hang on! That means I've already met you in the next few years. But… you _can't_ be the Doctor!" she cried.

The Face of Boe laughed. "With a girl like you, I wish I was, Rose. No, I'm afraid we part ways before he turns into our favourite pretty boy."

Rose calculated it all in her head. People she met - or will met - in the next year. Adam? She snapped her fingers… nothing happened. No. Well, the only other guy they had met who she was even remotely friendly with at that time was… Jack. Her eyes widened.

"J-Jack?"

"Hello."

"Hello," she said weakly, her legs threatening to give out.

"Hello." And that did it. That familiar response had her down on her knees in front of his tank.

"Oh my god! Jack… But, how? You- What? How the hell did you become an immortal giant telepathic head!"

Jack / the Face of Boe laughed again. "I think I'll spare you that one, Rose. I have more important things to tell you. What you're doing… rewriting history, it's still dangerous. The more you change, the more other things are affected. And sometimes it will centre in on you. So be careful. The Doctor, even now, already knows there's something different about you. He won't say anything for a long time, but he's trying to figure it out. And lastly, things may not always work out as planned. You can't save everyone Rose. So please don't get too down when you can't help someone."

"Will I do it?" she begged. "Jack, please, you have to tell me! Do I stop Canary Warf?"

There was a long painful silence. Then… "I'm sorry, Rose. I can't tell you that."

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"The planet's end!" Cassandra called. Rose was distracted from her begging and the Face of Boe moved off before she could stop him. "Come gather! Come gather! Bid farewell to the cradle of civilisation. Let us mourn her with a traditional ballad."

She almost laughed as Britney Spears 'Toxic' played through the speaker. Britney Spears! A traditional ballad? It wasn't too long after the song started that Jabe and the Doctor came in. Rose shed her jacket and ran straight to him as Jabe appeared to take control for a moment.

"Could I please have everyone's attention," she called to the room.

Everyone broke away from the viewing window and crowded around her. Cassandra seemed most put out by this, which made Rose grin. She hadn't been here for this part. She had been locked in a room, pacing about, wondering the heck what was going on.

"Thank you," Jabe said. "I'm afraid we have some terrible news to report. After the 'gravity pocket' the Doctor and I went in search of what _really_ caused the platform to shudder. We found this," she held up a spider-like robot. The she took out some sort of hand held computer from the folds of her dress. A few moments latter it tweeted like a bird. "The metal machine confirms. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."

"How's that possible?" Cassandra gasped. Rose had to force herself not to roll her eyes. "Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. - Moisturise me, moisturize me."

"Summon the Steward!" the Moxx of Balhoon squeaked, as the Doctor took the deactivated spider from Jabe's hand and began to tinker with it.

"I'm afraid the Steward is dead," she told them.

"Shit!" Rose cursed under her breath. She felt her stomach plummet sickeningly. How could she have forgotten that! She had completely forgotten about the Steward.

"Who killed him?

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe!" Cassandra shouted. Rose sighed; there she was, trying to pin the blame. She saw the Face of Boe shake his head. He obviously knew Cassandra was behind it to. She was pretty sure that this was one of the stories that her and the Doctor hand told Jack. "He invited us! Talk to the face! Talk to the face!"

"Talk to the skin! Talk to the skin!" Rose muttered under her breath. The Doctor must have heard her, because he looked at her with an amused, but quizzical gaze.

"Easy way of finding out," he said, he held up the spider. "Someone brought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to Master."

He placed the spider on the floor, it instantly it up and began to scuttle about. It moved around, making its way to Cassandra. It looked up at her a moment and she looked somewhat uncomfortable. But then suddenly it moved off to the Adherents of the Repeated Meme.

"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme," Cassandra spat. "J'accuse!"

"I think the spider's faulty," Rose said.

"Not quite, Rose," he told her, walking over towards the Repeated Meme. "But she's got a point. See, that all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it…" Suddenly on of them swung its mechanical claw up to strike at him, much like it had knocked her out last time. But the Doctor caught it. "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are. And idea."

And with that, he wrenched the arm from the cloaked figure. Something sparked as the arm came out and the Doctor pulled some sort of switch on it, all at once the group of them dropped to the floor. There was a collection of gasps from around the room. Rose just looked on in amusement, especially when she noticed Cassandra roll her eyes.

"Remote controlled droids," the Doctor told them. "Nice little cover for the _real_ troublemaker." He looked down at the spider and gave it a light nudge with his foot. "Go on, Jimbo! Go home!" Rose had to bite her lip as he did that. Had she really missed him do that? Oh, she loved his crazy antics.

After a moment the spider scuttled back to Cassandra. She just looked up at him and glared. "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed," she grumbled. The Doctor just raised his eyebrows. "At arms." The men on either side of her stood at the ready, their canisters held up, the nosily pointing at the Doctor and Rose.

"What are you going to do, moisturize me?" the Doctor mocked with an almost 'gay guy' tone. Rose snorted.

"With acid," Cassandra added. "Oh, too late anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts; tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face."

"Yeah, you're not even pretty," Rose scoffed. "And seriously, sabotaging a ship when you're still on it? How dumb are you? It's not like you can just teleport out." She hid her knowing grin at that. Because that was exactly what Cassandra intended to do. She did notice Cassandra's smug look when she said it, she was sure the Doctor did too.

"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims," Cassandra sneered. "The compensation would have been enormous."

"Five billion years and it still comes down to money," the Doctor growled.

"Do you think its cheap looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the Last Human, Doctor. Not _that_ freaky little girl!"

"Arrest her!" the Moxx of Balhoon cried.

"Oh, shut it, Pixie!" Cassandra snorted. "I've still got my final option."

'_Earth Death in 3 minutes_,' the computer announced.

"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go?-"

"Oh, shut up, Cassandra," Rose snapped. "You're really not going to achieve anything by this. Just _stop_. You don't have to do this. And it's not like it's going to do you any good since you're stuck here too."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Cassandra grinned. "I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but… I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders -activate!"

She ship shook as a series of bombs rocked it. People ducked as things broke off around them. Rose automatically grabbed the Doctor's hand and tried to drag him for the door.

"Doctor, we don't have time. Come on!" she cried, cutting off what ever Cassandra was going to say. Instead she just huffed and disappeared.

"Only the Steward would be able to reset the computer, but we can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch," he said as they ran out the door, Jabe not far behind them.

'_Heat levels rising_,' the computer told them.

"You lot," he said turning back to everyone else. "Just chill."

**?...DW…?**

They ran as fast as they could, the Doctor dragging Rose by the hand, leading her to the room he had Jabe had been in before. The tree of them emerged in a boiling hot room with three large turbine fans whirling at full speed.

"Oh, and guess where the switch is," the Doctor said in annoyance, looking at the far wall behind the fans.

The computer warned them of the rising heat levels again as he ran over to the near wall and pulled a cover off a switch before pulling it down. The fans began to slow down and he walked determinedly back to them, but as he let go, the switch rose up again. He looked back hopelessly at the leaver, then at the fans.

'_External temperature - 5,000 degrees_.'

The Doctor's words from so long ago rang through Rose's head. '_She sacrificed herself to hold down a leaver so I could get across to the reset switch…_' Quickly, before Jabe could move, she grabbed a hold of the switch and pushed it down.

The Doctor noticed it slow down and looked back at them. He saw Jabe standing there with wide eyes, her bark shone with some equivalent to sweat.

"Jabe, get out of here," he told her kindly. "The heat's going to vent through this place."

Jabe looked hesitant, she was sure she could do something to help. "Jabe, just go," Rose told her. "We got it. You'll die if you stay here. Go make sure everyone else is okay. Get them into the corridors away from the glass." Finally Jabe nodded and ran back the way they came. "As for you," she said turning back to the Doctor. "Stop wasting time, Time Lord!" she grinned cheekily.

The Doctor grinned at her then ran over to the first fan. He stood there timing it.

"Seriously, Doctor," she cried. "You have to go faster. The glass will be cracking up there!"

"It's not as easy as it looks, Tyler," he called back at her. But then in the next second he ducked through. He didn't hesitate; he just kept running to the next one. After only a short pause he managed to make it through the second one… and the third one. Then he was at the wall and he pulled the switch. "Raise shields!" he cried.

As the heat began to fade slightly the fans began to slow down further and he was bale to simply walk through them. When he reached her, she let go, and he pulled her into a hug. He seemed slightly awkward, but she knew he'd get used to it pretty quickly.

'_Planet explodes in: 10-_'

Rose's eyes widened and taking the Doctor's hand she sprinted out of the room. She listened to the seconds counted down as she ran, but she knew she was going to miss it. The ship rocked a little as it happened and she staggered into the Doctor. He helped right her and they continued on their way to the viewing platform.

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By the time they got there, everyone was back inside the main room. Everyone was badly shaken, but no one seemed hurt. The inside of the room, however had a few parts that looked slightly cracked and burnt. The second Jabe saw them, she ran over.

"Thank god, you did it," she breathed. "Are you alight?"

"Yeah, we're fine," the Doctor told her honestly. He let go of Rose's hand and began to pace. "But I'm full of ideas. I'm bristling with them. Idea number one - teleportation through 5,000 degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two - this feed must be nearby." He turned, looking for somewhere the feed could be found to see Rose, the ostrich egg in her hand, a smirk on her face. "Yeah, that could work," he said.

He strode over to her, took the egg, and smashed it open. The teleportation feed fell out and he picked it up.

"You know, we used to have one of those sitting in our class… and you just smashed the last one in existence."

The Doctor only grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. "Idea number three - if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He twisted it and it emitted a high pitch sound. Then in a blue flash, Cassandra appeared.

"You should have seen their little alien faces," she sniggered. Suddenly she seemed to notice that her surroundings had changed. "Oh…"

"The Last Human," the Doctor said bitterly.

Cassandra seemed quite flustered. "So… You passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join the… er… the human club!"

"Someone had died Cassandra. You murdered him… Tried to murder all these people here."

"That depends on your definition of 'people'," she said smartly. "And that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court then, Doctor! And watch me smile, and cry, and flutter-"

"And creak?" Rose stole the Doctor's line just as he was about to say it, walking up to his side.

"And what?" she said in confusion.

"Creak!" the Doctor said almost gleefully. "You're creaking."

Before them Cassandra's skin seemed to dry out, getting tighter and tighter as she became paler. Her eyes became bloodshot and she looked sick. "What?" she cried, panicked. "Ah! Ah! I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens! Moisturise me! Moisturise me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!"

"You raised the temperature," the Doctor told her. Rose closed her eyes, knowing what was coming next, and not being able to stand it.

"Have pity! Moisturize me! Oh, Doctor!" Cassandra sounded terrified. Rose just peeked through her eyelashes and saw the horrible sight of the stretch of skin getting tighter and straining, about to burst. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't see to happen again. But she knew she had to.

"Help her," the shaken plea was out of her lips before she could stop them.

"Everything has its time and everything dies," he said harshly.

"I am… too… _young!_" Cassandra shrieked. And then, with a sickening crack, she burst apart. The Doctor looked completely unfazed. Though she still knew the outcome, it made Rose shudder and feel sorry for her.

When was she going to stop feeling sorry for the cow!

**?...DW…?**

Rose stood, staring out at the chunks of burning rock that had once been her home, and the huge orangey red sun. She had missed it again. She had been hoping she would see it this time. Still, at least someone saw it this time. It at least deserved that. It shocked her that, though she'd already been through all this before, it still had the same impact. Was this what it was like for the Doctor every time someone bought his home up? …No, it was worse. It was much, much worse.

In the reflection of the glass, she could see the Doctor leaning in the doorway, just watching her. But she didn't turn to face him until he heard his footsteps near by. Even then he just stood beside her.

"The end of the Earth," she said sadly. "It's gone. And we were too busy saving everyone; we didn't get to see it go… Still… at least somebody did… at least they're still alive. I'd rather save someone than watch a planet die. But, all those years… all that history. Gone…"

"Come with me," the Doctor said gently, holding out his hand. She placed her hand in his, and he led her away.

**?...DW…?**

When they stepped out of the TARDIS, they were back on Earth, 2005. Around here, everyone was busy and happy. Rushing about their daily business. Like last time, she could appreciate the small parts of life and happiness, just like she did last time. But also, this time as she looked about, she saw how blind they all were. These people wouldn't know what wonders the universe held for a long time… And when they finally did, it would not be a nice experience.

"You think it'll last forever," the Doctor interrupted her thoughts. "People, and cars, and concrete. But it won't. One day, it's all gone… even the sky." They both looked up at the nearly clear blue sky a moment, but Rose knew that he was seeing a burnt orange one. "My planet's gone," he said quietly. Rose looked at him sadly, she knew what he was about to say. She could remember everything about this conversation. Only, he started with something she was not expecting. "I'm sorry, Rose. I lied to you. I - I let you believe that… I thought that… just for a moment, I could pretend." She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "But it's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust. Before it's time."

"What happened?" she asked, following what she remembered.

"There was a war. And we lost."

"A war with who?" He was too lost in thought to reply. She felt guilty about bringing this up when it was still so fresh for him. But she knew he had to tell her. "What about your people? The Time Lords?"

"I'm not just a Time Lord, Rose… I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left travelling on my own because there's no one else."

"There's me," she said adamantly, her voice breaking slightly. She gave him a small smile. The Doctor looked down at her and smiled slightly, but it soon fell from his face.

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?" he asked.

"Never," she said quietly. "I want…" she was going to say 'to stay with you forever' but the smell of chips wafted by her and she realised she hadn't eaten in forty three hours. "Can you smell chips?"

"Yeah," the Doctor laughed, the tension breaking. "Yeah!"

"I want chips," she told him.

"Me too," he agreed.

"Right then," she grinned. "You get into a party with psychic paper, let me guess, you don't have any money."

"Sorry," he shrugged unremorsefully.

"What sort of date are you?" she scoffed. "Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years before the shops close..." she grinned cheekily.

The Doctor laughed and took her hand again as they walked off down the street. Still laughing, Rose snuggled into his arm, breathing in the scent of leather. Altogether… not too bad.


	5. Keeping Notes

_**Just thought I'd add this little in-between bit. Sometimes I'll do one in the actual episode, sometimes as a mini piece like this.**_

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***Keeping Notes***

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Rose flopped down on the bed. They had just gotten back from eating their chips, and the Doctor noticed she was bone tired. He had supported her, letting her lean on his shoulder and chuckled as she had yawned. He told her that she could stay in this room.

Of course, she knew that this very room would be hers for the next two years, and if she succeeded, longer. She could remember how to decorate her room by thought, and had already started. Plus it was much easier now the TARDIS freely 'spoke' to her.

She had found that the TARDIS couldn't actually _say_ more than two or three words. Most of it was just feelings and hums. Apparently, not even the Doctor could hear the TARDIS like she could. That had startled her a bit.

Her tasted had changed since she was nineteen… the first time. So her room was nothing like her one on Earth, or the first version. For one, she wasn't too keen on bright pink. She still liked pink, but it didn't splatter everything she slept in. instead her walls were a nice clam dusky blue. A similar shade to TARDIS blue, but much, much lighter. The bedspread was fairly similar. But it was nice and poofy, like always.

She was a little put out about how empty it was, but she didn't have any of her own stuff aboard, or any of the pictures and trinkets she had collected on her travels. But she'd get those soon.

Tomorrow they would go to Cardiff in whatever year it was with Charles Dickens. And she would save Gwyneth and that creep of a boss of hers. The day after that they would go to some city on an alien planet. And a few more places after that. Then she would complain that she had been wearing the same clothes for five days straight and he would take her home so she could tell her mum she would be okay… and end up being a year late.

She gave a chuckle at that.

It was annoying. She was tired, but she couldn't get to sleep. Out of boredom, she turned to the bedside drawers and began opening them. She hadn't paid much attention to them last time. She had just chucked everything out of it so she could put her own stuff in. this time; she noticed that there was some kind of diary and a pen in the top drawer.

Flicking it open, she saw it was blank and knew that it was for her if she wanted it. She was never one for writing diaries. But there was one thing she wanted to do.

Clicking on the pen she wrote 'The Book of Changes' on the front page. She turned over and wrote 'Platform One' at the top of the next page. She drew a line down the centre, dividing it into two, but stopped at half way and ruled a horizontally. On one side below the title she wrote 'Saved' and underlined it. On the other side she wrote 'Died… again'.

The easiest to fill out was the 'Died… again' column. Just one line. She wrote 'the Steward'. The one person she hadn't been able to save. Swallowing the sickness she felt, she moved back to the 'Saved' column. In that she wrote each name on a separate line.

'Jabe'.

'The Moxx of Balhoon'.

'A few Staff members'. - Yes, she could remember some of the little blue people looking down sadly at their fallen friends.

'Mrs Pacoon'.

'One of the Hop Pyleen brothers'.

'One of the City of Binding Light ambassadors'.

Then in the space below her table she wrote 'Jack is the Face of Boe'. 'Cassandra hates me even more'.

Far too tired now, she tucked the book back into the top drawer. And with those last two thoughts, she drifted off to the most restful sleep she had had in a year.


	6. The Unquiet Dead, Ghosts

_**Okay, here's this half. I might write the first chapter of 'Partners in Crime' before I do the second half. One of the issues of having so many stories.**_

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***The Unquiet Dead***

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**Ghosts**

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"Hold that one down!" the Doctor shouted over the alarm. She looked over at the button he had pointed to amidst all the shaking, then she looked over at the one she was holding now. No doubt he wanted them both held down, so making a decision, she swung her leg up and pressed the other one down with her foot.

God, she had picked up far too many bad habits from the Doctor. The Doctor - not the version of him in question - looked at her in amused bewilderment at the action. "It's not going to work!" she cried. She knew that today they would go a little off track… just a little… by a county and about nine years.

"Oi! I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting. Now, you've seen the future. Let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?"

"About nine years out of your driving range," she muttered under her breath. Out loud she said, "It sounds like a right splendid year, governor!" in an exaggerated cockney accent.

"Fantastic. Hold on, here we go!"

The TARDIS shook as she sped through the Vortex and they landed with a huge thump that landed Rose and the Doctor side by side. They turned their heads to face each other, they were so close that their noses were almost touching, and they burst into laughter.

"Blimey, I forgot what that's like!" she cried. The Doctor looked at her in confusion and she hurried to amend her mistake. "New girl here. I've only had it move… how may times now? I just keep forgetting how rough it is."

"Sorry," he apologised.

"I don't mind. It's fun," she smiled. "So where have we landed." The Doctor jumped up and she followed him to the monitor.

"I did it!" he cried. "Give the man a medal. Earth - Naples - December 24th, 1860."

"December 24th? It's Christmas!" Rose feinted excitement.

"All yours," the Doctor grinned, gesturing to the door. She could see the faint look of excitement on his face. It was the same look that she saw every time before she opened the door to somewhere new. She knew that he was already getting excited about showing her new places.

"It's incredible!" she sighed.

"You haven't even seen it yet!" he laughed.

"Oi, Mr 'Time-travelling-since-I-left-Gallifrey', I still think it's wonderful! You get to see all these days that are dead and gone. Something important… or even not… it just happens once. It happens and it's gone. That's it, no more… but not for you. You get to see it all again. Make it come alive. Bring back things that ended a hundred thousand sunsets ago. It's beautiful."

"Not a bad life," he smiled at her.

"Yeah well," she leant in as if to whisper in his hear. "It's better with two," she grinned. Then she ran off back towards the halls.

"Hey, where are you going?" he said in bewilderment.

"The Wardrobe!" she said. "Get something era appropriate."

"Ah, good idea, you'd cause a riot out there dressed like that," he gave a chuckle at the thought. "Do you even know how to get there? It's your first left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, it's the fifth door on your left. And don't take forever!"

"Yes, sir," she gave a mock salute and ran off.

She had found the dress she had worn last time all ready and set out for her. She put it on as fast as she could, using the TARDIS's corset machine to help her with the infernal thing. She had a love hate relationship with corsets. On the one hand, they were beautiful and fun and looked amazing. On the other she couldn't breath. Running was doable, but harder than usual.

Ah, running, they would need to do a lot of that fast. She missed her old body. This one was young and unfit with not much muscle and a bit too much 'baby' fat. At least she knew the TARDIS had a gym.

Going over to the mirror, Rose quickly scrubbed off her thick make up and applied more subtle tones that matched the dress, using only a little of the eyeliner and mascara. She was technically older. Her tastes had changed.

She made sure that the lace was sitting nicely, off her shoulders and across her arms. And put the cloak right. Then she made her way back into the console room. When the Doctor heard her footsteps across the grating, he looked up. This time she actually watched as his face went slack in astonishment.

"Blimey!" he practically gasped.

"Not bad, right?" she asked, smoothing down the front a little more.

"You look beautiful," was all he could say. Suddenly he looked away when he realised what he had said. He opened his mouth to say something, but Rose bet him to it.

"Considering I'm human," she teased. The Doctor said nothing, he just looked up at her, slightly shocked. She heard the TARDIS giggling and guessed it had something to do with the fact he could barely get a few words out. "I see you've changed," she said nodding at his jumper. This pulled him out of his stupor and he grinned widely.

"You like it? I just changed the jumper. This look is timeless, you know."

"Of course it is!" She grinned.

"Come on, let's go," he said slowly getting up.

"Well, hurry up! She said grabbing him by the arm and dragging him up and towards the door. He jerked a bit but managed to upright himself and run behind her, letting her open the door herself.

Once again, as Rose opened the door, she was overtaken by wonder. Here she was, in 1869, on Christmas, in the fresh snow. Oh! It had been _such_ a long time since she had seen real snow! With an excited squeal, she stepped outside, grinning stupidly as she looked at the prints her high heeled boots made in the snow.

"Ready for this?" the Doctor asked after the closed the TARDIS door. Rose grinned at him.

"Absolutely." He held his arm out to her and she linked her own through it.

"Here we go. History."

.

They walked around for minutes and Rose drank it all in. The bustle of the crowds, the people in their dark Victorian clothing, the lack of cars and the coaches that rolled down the streets. It reminded her of something straight out of 'A Christmas Carol' or 'Oliver twist'… appropriate that.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Doctor watching her, enjoying her reaction. It was a good thing that even places she had already been to could get her excited. There was only one thing that could make this trip even better. And she was going to make it happen.

The Doctor led her over to an old man on the side of the street and handed over a couple of coins in return for a newspaper. As he read it, his face fell.

"I got the flight a bit wrong," he admitted.

"I don't care," she told him.

"It's not 1860, it's 1869."

"Don't care."

"And It's not Naples," he said sheepishly.

"I don't care," Rose reiterated.

"It's Cardiff."

"Brilliant," she grinned with a bit of a bounce in her step. The Doctor looked at her as if she's just gone off her rocker.

"Really, Rose? Cardiff?" he said in surprise, sounding slightly disgusted.

"Hey, great things will one day happen in Cardiff!" she warned him, pointing a scolding finger in his face. The Doctor went cross-eyed, looking at her finger, then after a few seconds cracked up laughing. Rose couldn't help laughing along.

"Ah, great things? Cardiff? You really are adorable."

It was only a few seconds later that they heard screaming from the nearby theatre. The Doctor grinned and tossed the paper over his shoulder. "That's more like it!" he cried as he rushed towards the building.

Rose took a deep breath. "Here we go," she muttered. And then she followed him, pushing her way through the fleeing masses. They made it inside in time to see the gaseous form of one of the Gelth flying around overhead.

"Fantastic," the Doctor breathed. And he ran up to the stage towards Charles Dickens to question him. In the meanwhile, she saw Gwyneth and Mr Sneed pick up the body of the old woman and try to get out. She knew she had to get to them now… preferably before the Doctor.

"Doctor!" she called out to him. "I'll go after them!"

"Be careful!" he called after her as he hoisted himself up on the stage.

.

She finally managed to make her way back out through the thinning crowd just in time to see Gwyneth finish loading the old lady into the back of the hearse.

"Gwyneth!" she called, rushing up to the girl. Gwyneth spun around, startled. She was caught in the act and confused as to how Rose would know her name.

"How do you-"

"Look, it's okay," she said quickly. "I know what's going on. I know about the bodies walking about and the ghosts. I can help you. Me and my friend can-"

The next thing Rose knew there was a hand over her mouth and a sickly sweet scent filled her nostrils. It suffocated and gagged her and filled her head, making everything foggy. She tried to call out to the Doctor, but the hand stopped any sound escaping. She struggled until her limbs felt too heavy to do so. Darkness crept in at the edges of her vision and she felt horrible woozy.

Soon everything went black. She felt her body go limp and the person behind her grab a hold of her. She knew that it was Mr Sneed and could feel his icky hands grasping at her sides… and her ass and breasts. Creepy old man!

She couldn't pay attention as two people argued about her. Everything got further and further away. She could vaguely feel people bundling her into something next to something else… it felt like a person, but it was ice cold. Her brain wasn't working enough to figure out what it was, but she still felt freaked out by it.

And just before she lost consciousness, she heard her name being called out by a very familiar voice.

**?...DW…?**

She sat up with a groan. She was so dizzy and felt slightly sick… What had happened?

…Oh, yeah, she'd been knocked out by Mr Sneed again! Really! She'd been trying to help! If they'd just listened to her and maybe waited for the Doctor then things could have gone a lot more smoothly. Not to mention that last time, kidnapping her had put the Doctor in a bit of a mood with them.

As she put her hand to her throbbing head, she became aware of a hissing noise that had nothing to do with the noises in her head. She turned just in time to see a bluish vapour-y Gelth figure slip into one of the bodies lying in the coffins. And the man sat up.

"Oh, shit," she whimpered. "Not again. No, no, no! Not again!" she jumped up and ran to the door. As she expected it was locked and she began banging. "Doctor!" she shouted desperately, just as the second body began to stir. "Doctor, help me! Let me out!"

Remembering what had happened to Mr Sneed last time, she began to panic. She hadn't understood what it had meant last time she was in this room. But now she was truly scared. So using her Torchwood training, she began to work at kicking down the door.

Unfortunately, there was nothing to brace herself against and her boots were not made for such an action… and she realised too late that the door opened the other way. She cried out in pain when her ankle bent in a way it shouldn't.

"_Doctor!_" At that moment a cold head hand came down over her mouth, just in the right position to break her neck in the next few seconds.

The door cracked as it swung open and the Doctor entered with a dark look. - At least _someone_ could kick in doors. - He pulled her out of the possessed body's arms. She stumbled and gasped as she fell into him and leant on him heavily.

"I believe this is _my_ dance," he said, putting an arm around her waist to hold her up.

"It's a prank," Charles Dickens said from behind them. "It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence."

"No, we're not. The dead are walking," the Doctor said seriously. Then a smile bloomed on his face and he looked down at her. "Hi!"

"Hello," she grinned through the pain. She looked over his shoulder at Charles. "Hello, Charlie." For a moment the Doctor looked almost hurt at the use of the name. He looked even more so when Charles failed to correct her. But then he remembered the corpses and turned to them.

"My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"

"We're failing," said the man spoke. He used his own voice, but at the same time the eerie high pitch voice of the Gelth spoke over top. "Open the Rift we're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us."

Then with a horrid scream from the Gelth and a gasp from the bodies, the blue ghost figures left them, being sucked into the pipes. And the bodies fell to the floor, once again dead. The Doctor stared at them in shock a moment before letting her go to check them out. But she couldn't support her weight and stumbled again, squeaking in pain.

At the noise, the Doctor looked up at her, noticing the look on her face and the awkward way she was holding her body so as not to put pressure on the wrong leg.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"I think I've twisted my ankle," she said. "Not to self: check which way a door opens before trying to kick it in." The Doctor gave her an amused but sympathetic smile.

"Right, you," he pointed to Sneed. "Get these bodies back on the table or wherever they should be. You," he pointed to Gwyneth. "Help Rose into the parlour or somewhere where she can sit comfortable and we can all talk. Charles, you can either help him, or help Rose."

.

With the utmost care and respect for the dead, Charles helped put the bodies back into their coffins with the curiosity of a sceptic. Gwyneth put an arm under Rose's and helped support her until they reached the parlour, set her up on the small couch that Gwyneth herself would occupy in no more than an hour, then she went off to boil the kettle.

The Doctor grabbed a cloth and went out side. He grabbed a handful of clean snow and packed it down into a big bunch before wrapping it in the cloth and bringing it back inside to Rose.

"Here," he said trying it to her ankle with another cloth. "I know it's cold, but it will help. I can fix you up on the TARDIS when we get back. But right now it seems we have bigger problems."

"Yeah, how to get rid of the ghosts without opening the rift," she said. The Doctor looked at her in surprise.

"I don't know about you, Rose, but those 'ghosts' sounded like they needed help!"

"Yeah, because killing me was going to help them!" she cried. "If all it wanted was help, then why did try to stop me calling out to you."

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something - or more likely to flounder for an answer - when Charles and Mr Sneed came in and sat down. Only a moment later Gwyneth came back in with a tray of tea and began getting them ready.

"You!" Rose pointed her finger accusingly at Sneed and got up.

"Rose!" the Doctor cried in alarm, rushing to her side. "What are you doing? You need to be resting that foot."

"I don't damn well care!" she reached over and grabbed the walking stick she had last time. But this time she was using it for actual support, rather than for emphasis and to look cool. She rounded back onto Sneed. "I was trying to _help_ you! And what? You just decide to drug me and kidnap me in a hearse, right next to a _dead body!_ And don't think I didn't feel your hands having a wander, you dirty old man!" She saw the Doctor grin and snigger out of the corner of her eye.

"I won't be spoken to like this!" Sneed said angrily.

"Yes you damn well will!" Rose shouted, just as angry. She wasn't even this angry last time. This time around she knew the truth… knew that he had too, or at least part of it. "Because not only that, but then you swan off and leave me in a room full of dead people possessed by ghost that you _knew_ were dangerous! So come on, tell us why you did it!"

"It's not my fault, it's this house!" the old man cried. He calmed a little and looked around sheepishly. "It's always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back. And then the stiffs-" he saw Charles's offended look. "…The… er, dear departed… started getting restless."

"Tommyrot," Dickens muttered.

"You witnessed it! Can't keep the beggars down, Sir! They walk. And it's the queerest thing that they hang onto to scraps…"

To the side Rose saw Gwyneth bring the Doctor his two sugar tea. She saw the look of surprise on his face.

"…One old fella who used to be a sexton almost walked into his own memorial service! Just like the old lady going to your performance, Sir! Just as she planned."

"Morbid fancy."

"Oh, Charles, you were there," the Doctor said in exasperation.

"I saw nothing but an illusion."

"Come on, Charlie," Rose said before the Doctor could snap at him. "You've seen it, and you moved the bodies yourself. You know it's not a trick. I know that you're scared. Not of them, but of what you believe. It's not wrong, there's just more to it than you've discovered. You're incredible. Don't let something new stop you."

Dickens looked at her, completely startled. The Doctor was looking at her, quite proud.

"What about the gas?" the Doctor broke the silence.

"That's new, Sir," Sneed said to the Doctor. "Never seen anything like that."

"Means it's getting stronger. The Rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through."

"What kind of rift is this?" Charles asked.

"It's a weak point in time and space," the Doctor explained. "The connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories most of the time."

"That's how I got the house so cheap!" Sneed realised. "Stories going back generations. Echoes in the dark. Queer songs in the air and this feeling like a… shadow… passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine."

Rose and the Doctor grinned at that.

"Forgive me, but what can we do about it sir? How can we stop this from happening?" Gwyneth finally spoke up. Rose just looked at the Doctor. He didn't have a clue.

**?...DW…?**

Rose hobbled into the small little excuse of a kitchen, using the cane to lean on. Gwyneth turned from her dishes to look at her.

"Miss! You should be resting!" she half cried, half scolded.

"No I shouldn't," she countered. "Sitting there doing nothing? It'll dive me mad!" She picked up the cloth and began drying the dishes.

"Please Miss! You shouldn't be helping. It's not right!"

"Bull!" Rose said almost sulkily. "Sneed works you to death. And all the bossing around he does, you deserve a raise."

"Oh, no, I couldn't miss," Gwyneth protested. "Mr Sneed is very generous. I already get eight pound a year. And he took me in when my mum and dad died. I could never ask for more." She held her hand out for the cloth and grudgingly Rose handed it over. Then she took an upturned bucket and a chair and gestured for Rose to sit, not moving until she did so.

"I'm sorry about your parents," Rose said. "I lost my dad when I was just a baby. Didn't really know him much, but still…"

"Perhaps one day you'll see him again, Miss," Gwyneth smiled widely, thinking of her angels no doubt.

"Oh, course I will," Rose said. "But not how you think.

"You're lucky to have a man like the Doctor," she told her.

"Don't I know it. I love travelling."

"And you've travelled so far. Further than anyone. You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about, half naked, for shame. And the noise… and the metal boxes racing past… and the birds in the sky… they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People are flying. And you - you've flown so far! Through all the stars and the pitch blackness. A world with big floating balloons. The things you've seen, the things you've done… all to save them. Save them all. Stop four hearts from breaking. Stop the separation from he you love. Stop the pain, the suffering. The sickness. So horribly sick. The darkness. The horror and pain and the forever dark… The big bad wolf…"

Gwyneth stumbled backwards, pure terror on her face. When she looked back up at Rose she had pity etched on her face and tears running down her cheeks.

Bad Wolf: check, two.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Miss!" the girl cried. "Oh, my Lord, I am so terribly sorry." Rose knew that she wasn't talking about seeing into her mind this time. She was apologizing for what she had seen.

"It's alright, you didn't mean to," Rose gave her a soft smile. Gwyneth understood what she was redirecting the conversation to.

"I can't help it - ever since I was a little girl. My mum said I had the sight. She told me to hide it!"

"But it's getting stronger," the Doctor suddenly said from the doorway, causing her to jump. "More powerful, is that right?"

She nodded. "All the time, Sir. Every night. Voices in my head."

"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key."

Rose realised then what was going through his head. With sickening horror she knew he was already thinking of how he could use her to help the Gelth. The way he had said _key_. "No!" Rose said in horror. Neither of them noticed her.

"I've tried to make sense of it, Sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts."

"Well, that should help. You can show us what to do."

"What to do where, Sir?"

"We are _not_ having a séance," Rose said firmly. But the Doctor mistook her for being incredulous and doubtful.

"Yep, we are!" he grinned.

"Are you really sure that's a good idea?" she hedged.

"How else do you find out what a ghost wants?" He came over and helped her to her feet. Normally if anyone else had tried to support her, she would have shoved them away. She had a walking stick, she could be independent. But if she was being honest, she hadn't spent enough time really close to this Doctor, and she was going to take every chance she could get.

Gwyneth walked a head of them, leading them to the parlour again. The Doctor leant down to whisper in her ear. "Isn't that fantastic? The energy from the rift affected her till she became psychic!"

"It would be pretty cool to be psychic," Rose grinned. Then the Doctor's brow creased as he looked at her.

"Do you know what she meant?" he asked. "All that stuff about sickness and darkness. Something about saving everyone?"

Rose nearly cursed when she realised he'd heard all that. "No. but she's psychic right… Maybe… maybe she saw the future." She shuddered at the memory of that future and the Doctor pulled her closer.

"No if I can help it," he told her.

**?...DW…?**

They were all gathered around the small round table. Rose had been in a different spot last time. This time she made sure that she was sat right in between the Doctor and Gwyneth. For one, she found herself wanting to protect the girl from the man she trusted the most… strange thought that. And second… there was no way in hell she was holding Sneed's hand again!

"This is how Madam Mortlock summons those from the Land of Mists, down in Midtown," Gwyneth explained. "Come, we must all join hands."

Rose grabbed a hold of the hands next to hers. The sooner this was over, the better. She could ask her own questions and reveal who they really were. Convince the Doctor she was right. He had to see the truth. Especially if it was from her.

"I can't take part in this!" Dickens muttered getting up.

"Humbug!" the Doctor accused quickly, throwing the man's own word back at him. "Come on, open mind."

"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I strive to un-mask. Séances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing." He was looking at Gwyneth sharply and the girl looked down, feeling very, very small.

"Don't be mean!" Rose scolded him.

"Yes, don't antagonise her. I love a happy medium."

"Oh my god, Doctor," Rose giggled and rolled her eyes. He grinned cheekily at his own pun which made her want to laugh even more. But they pulled themselves together quickly enough.

"Come on," the Doctor said to Dickens. "We might need you." Hesitantly, the famous writer sat down again. "Good man. Now, Gwyneth. Reach out."

Gwyneth stared out up towards the back of the other wall, concentrating. "Speak to us," she said. Are you there, spirits? Come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." She raised her eyes to the ceiling and a murmuring filled the room.

"Here they come," Rose murmured.

"Nothing can happen. This is sheer folly!" Charles said stubbornly.

"Look at her, Charlie!" she nodded to the girl who was starting to be surrounded by the blue gas. "That's not nothing."

"I feel them," she muttered. "I feel them!"

'_Help us. It's not opening. Open the rift. Please,"_ eerie voices filled the air as the gas surrounded them. Everyone looked up at it cautiously. Like her, the Doctor appeared to be listening to this, too.

"They can't get through the rift. Gwyneth, it's not controlling you, you're controlling it. Now, look deep. Allow them through."

"I can't," she gasped.

"Yes, you can. Just believe it. I have faith in you, Gwyneth. Make the link," the Doctor told her.

Gwyneth had a look of almost pain as she concentrated on her task. Then her head fell forward. When she looked up again, she was staring out into nothing.

"Yes!" she said. In the next second there was a bright flair of the bright light and the three ethereal forms of the Gelth appeared. Charles's mouth fell open.

"Great God. Spirits from the other side!" Sneed exclaimed.

"The other side of the universe," the Doctor corrected for him.

"Pity us. Pity the Gelth," the leader said in its high pitch voice that echoed eerily. "There is so little time. Help us!"

"What do you want us to do?" the Doctor asked calmly.

"The rift. Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge."

"What for?"

"We are so very few. The last of our kind. We face extinction." Rose snorted and almost everyone looked at her in surprise and displeasure. She at least had the good grace to look down at the table solemnly.

"Why, what happened?" the Doctor asked them.

"Once we had a physical form, like you. But then the war came."

"War? What war?" Charles asked, intrigued.

"The Time War," the Gelth answered. Rose saw the exact moment pain flashed upon the Doctor's face. She gave his hand a comforting squeeze. He glanced up at her, his face showed his sorrow, but she could see the appreciation in his eyes. "The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged. Invisible to smaller species, but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state."

"So that's why you need the corpses," the Doctor realised, his voice a little dark at the thought, but accepting. He had - of course - seen worse in his life.

"We want to stand tall," the Gelth sounded wistful. A lie. "To feel the sunlight, to live again. We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste. Give them to us!"

"No," Rose said firmly.

"Why not?" the Doctor said, a little angry at her reaction.

"How do we know if we can trust them? They tried to kill me. If they're the ones possessing the bodies, why did they try to kill others? How does that help them?"

"We did not mean to," the Gelth pleaded. The Doctor clearly looked torn. He knew Rose had made a good point, but the Gelth needed his help. "Please. Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth!"

As they spoke these last lines they began to be sucked back into the lamps and Gwyneth gasped, slumping to the table unconscious as they left. Rose jumped up and went to the girl, She attempted to lift her, but winced as she put too much pressure on her foot.

"What do you think you're doing?" the Doctor asked her, getting up. His voice was scolding and unhappy. And she didn't like it.

"She's hurt," Rose snapped in reply. "I'm trying to get her over to the couch so she can lie down."

"You're hurt too," he reminded her, his tone softening. Easy as if he were carrying a child, the Doctor took the girl and placed her on the couch. Rose hobbled to her side and reached down to the ice compress that had been tied to her ankle. It had melted through both cloths a while ago, but was still cold.

Taking the cloth off, she balled it up and pressed it gently to the girls burning forehead until she finally came around. Until then, any attempt to speak had been silenced. Rose wouldn't let them make any decision about what was going to happen until Gwyneth knew the truth of what would happen. She wouldn't let her be hurt. Not again.

.

.

.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thanks for reading. I wanted to make Gwyneth's prediction something that would make his suspicious, but not be too obvious. (Also didn't know if they had balloons in 1869, but I'm fairly certain they at least had hot air balloons, right?) And why not make things harder for Rose. She already had future knowledge, time to add a disadvantage  negative balancer.**_

_**Also, I just wanted to remind you all that I have a page on Facebook. I post pictures, sneak peeks, give the latest updates and story statuses, and ask opinions on upcoming ideas.**_

_**Check it out at: www (dot) facebook (dot) com/pages/Krazy-Ky-sta-Hatter/211442535611697**_


	7. The Unquiet Dead, Listen to Me

**Listen to Me**

.

.

"Rose…?"

"I said 'shush'," she said, not quite as snappily as she had been. She realised that the Doctor didn't know why she was against this. He didn't understand why she was upset. But her voice must have startled Gwyneth, as she started making noises and stirred.

When her eyes opened, she began to sit up. "Whoa, take it easy," Rose told her gently. "Just rest, yeah? It's alright, it's over."

"But my angels, Miss?"

"They're not-" she tried to say, but Gwen didn't stop, didn't hear her.

"They came, didn't they? They need me?"

"No."

"They _do_ need you, Gwyneth," the Doctor said over top of her. "You're their only chance of survival."

"I said leave her alone!" Rose turned on him angrily. "She's only a girl! She's exhausted. This isn't her battle, and I won't let you risk her life!"

"She won't be risking her life," he sighed.

"Are you sure of that? Are you absolutely positive? How do you know it won't hurt her?"

"Rose, it will be fine."

"You're asking her to channel the _rift_ through her and let hundreds of aliens pass through her too, and use only her mind!" The Doctor looked at her levelly, realising she might have a point. But why would the Gelth ask this of someone they had spent years protecting if it was going to hurt her?

"What did you say, Doctor?" Sneed asked. "Explain it again. What are they?"

"Aliens," he said simply, finally tearing his gaze away from Rose.

"Like… foreigners, you mean?"

"Pretty foreign, yeah. From up there." He pointed skywards.

"Brecon?" Sneed said, completely clueless.

"Close," he said, going with it. "And they've been trying to get through from Brecon to Cardiff, but the road's blocked. Only a few can get through and even then, they're weak. They can only test drive the bodies for so long, then they have to revert to gas and hide in the pipes."

"Which is why they need the girl," Charles said.

"They're not bloody well having her!" Rose cried, ignoring the looks she was getting for swearing. "None of you are!"

"But she can help!" the Doctor said in exasperation. "Living on the rift, she's become part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge and let them through."

"Yeah, and die in the process!"

"Would you stop being so dramatic!"

"Incredible," Charles sneered, slightly intoxicated from the third glass of brandy he was drinking. "Ghosts that are not ghosts, but beings from another world, who can only exist in our realm by inhabiting _cadavers_!"

"Good system. It might work," the Doctor said, impressed by the ingenuity of it.

"It will not work! It's not going to happen!"

Rose knew she was almost having the same argument with him, but this time it was for a different reason. She could understand creatures needing the dead to survive. It was creepy, but she could handle it. Problem now, was she didn't trust them at all. Knew what they really wanted…

But it was hard trying to convince the Doctor of this when she couldn't tell him.

"Why not? It's like recycling."

"Seriously though," she said standing up. "You _can't._"

"Seriously though, I can," he countered. Ugh. This was getting _nowhere_!

"Let me rephrase that. What you're planning on doing, is letting a young girl, who barely knows what she can do, put her life at risk by ripping opening a crack in time and space. Letting traces of the _Time Vortex_ go through her, not to mention all the potentially dangerous alien life forms. So that said aliens can inhabit dead people and cause an uproar! And yes, that last part was a euphemism. People are going to freak out!"

"It's only for a short while. People won't even have to know they were here. And there is nothing wrong with them using the bodes. It's just a different reality, Rose. So get used to it, or go home."

"Ugh! You're not _listening_ to me!" she cried in exasperation. "I don't care about them using bodies. It's… it's like having a donor's card! But they aren't safe!"

"Why are you so hung up on thinking they're dangerous?" he half shouted at her.

"Because they are! Mr Sneed, how did Mr Redpath die?"

"…Mrs Redpath killed him…" he said hesitantly, not really wanting to be included in the fight.

"Before or after she died?"

"…After."

"See," she said, throwing her arm out.

"Time is running out for them, Rose," he said stubbornly. He was ignoring what was right in front of them, too set on fixing what he had done wrong.

"Oh. My. _God_! You don't get it, do you? Would you please just _listen_ to me! I won't let you use Gwyneth, and I won't let you bring them through to hurt everyone!"

"Don't I get a say in this, Miss?" Gwyneth asked from behind her. Rose turned to her.

"Gwyneth, you don't understand."

"I know you're scared, Miss," she said. "The things you see in your head. You're scared of the angels, that they will hurt us. And I know that you're scared for me. But you don't need to be. Right now, I know my own mind. I know what they are, and my angels need me. Doctor, what do I have to do?"

"You don't _have_ to do anything," he said to her gently, giving her the chance to make it her own choice, and to show Rose he didn't want to do the girl any harm. He didn't understand why she thought that. Gwyneth had grown up on the rift, if she was a part of it, then it shouldn't hurt her. And the Gelth have been looking after her, so they would protect her.

"They've been singing to me since I was a child. Sent by my mum on a holy mission. So tell me." The Doctor smiled in reply, but Rose found tears coming to her eyes.

"Gwyneth, please don't do this," she begged quietly.

"I've made up my mind. Doctor?"

"We need to find the rift," he grinned. As he turned around and began questioning Mr Sneed on where the rift could be, Rose sunk into the chair next to Gwyneth. It had been painful standing on her foot that long. And losing the argument had made the exhaustion worse.

She was running out of options.

**?...DW…?**

It was a struggle getting down the stairs. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop the shooting pain that ran up her leg with every step. Gwyneth was in front of them, leading them down, Charles and Mr Sneed behind. And Rose hobbled slowly down, the cane in one hand, the Doctor supporting her on the other side.

The Doctor had noticed that she had been unusually quiet for some time now, and strangely sad. He got the feeling it his was fault.

"Rose," he said quietly, their situation begging for the eerie silence. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I shouldn't have yelled at you," he told her.

"It's okay," she replied flatly. She was in too much pain and spending too much concentration on how to save Gwyneth to put much emotion in her voice.

"No it's not, and what I said…" he seemed to struggle a moment, obviously wanting to say something different. "You don't have to go. I just… I don't understand what you've got against these Gelth. You were fine with all the other places we've been to."

Rose turned and looked at him, rather than the stairs she was walking down. "Maybe if you actually looked, and listened to me, you'd see they aren't quite what you think."

"Well, to me, they look like a race who is dying and need my help."

"…Okay, well, maybe what you see _is_ right, but what about their intent?"

"They want to live."

"Yeah, but they didn't need to try and kill me to do it!" she hissed. She sucked in a breath as her cane slipped and her ankle went thudding to the concrete.

"I'll get that fixed up the second we're back in the TARDIS," he told her.

"Thanks." They didn't say more than that. The arguing was getting them nowhere. So they both just let it drop.

.

Finally, after what was agonising minutes for Rose, they made it into the basement and opened the door to the morgue.

"Talk about Bleak House," the Doctor said.

"Gwyneth, you don't have to do this," she tried again.

"Rose…" Doctor sighed in frustration.

"No! I don't trust these things, Doctor. And I'm not going to let her get hurt. Can't we just find a way to close the rift?"

"No. They _need _our help. I don't expect you to understand. But it's my fault they're like this."

"You didn't start the Time War."

"No, but I was given plenty of chances to prevent it. And I was the one to end it."

"Doctor," Charles interrupted. "I think the room is getting colder."

"Here they come," Rose warned, turning to the archway. At that exact moment, blue gas flooded into the room, forming into the leader who stood in the archway Rose had faced.

"You have come to help!" she spoke in her child like voice. "Praise the Doctor! Praise him!"

"You can't hurt her, I won't let you!" Rose shouted at them. "Promise you won't hurt her this time!" She winced at her slip, but realised it could pass, considering Gwyneth had fainted at the séance.

"Hurry!" the Gelth ignored her plead. "Please. So little time. Pity the Gelth."

'_Pity my ass!_' she thought angrily.

"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer," the Doctor told them. "Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, alright?"

"My angels. I can help them live?" Gwyneth said hopefully. Fearfully, Rose took her hand. She could feel the girl's pulse beating rapidly at her wrist. She may look clam, but underneath she was probably as scared as Rose.

"Okay, where's the weak point?" the Doctor asked them.

"Here, beneath the arch."

Gwyneth went to go stand where she was told, but Rose pulled her back. "You can't," she said. "Please, you don't have to do this. You _can't_ do this."

Gently Gwyneth slipped her hand from Rose's grasp and placed it on her cheek. "My angels," she said, as if confirming her decision. She gave Rose a small push, causing her to stumble back into the Doctor's arms. Then she went and stood in the archway.

Tears sprung to Rose's eyes as she knew what that meant. There were a lot of details that she didn't remember. Small conversations, a face, or a name. But this she could remember with sickening clarity. '_I think she was dead the minute she stood in that arch_.'

A tear slowly rolling down her cheek, she walked over to Gwyneth. Grabbing her hand again, she checked for a pulse. There was none. Sadly, she placed her hand on the poor girl's cheek. "I'm so, so sorry," she croaked.

'_I was supposed to save you_,' she said in her head.

"You can't save everyone, Rose," Gwyneth replied aloud to her thought. "Be strong. Have faith."

"Establish the bridge," the Gelth suddenly ordered, causing Rose to startle and jump painfully back. "Reach out of the void, let us through!"

"Yes," Gwyneth said as Rose was pulled gently back by the Doctor. "I can see you! I can see you… Come."

"Bridgehead establishing."

"Come! Come to me! Come to this world, poor lost souls!"

"It is begun!" the Gelth cried in delight. "The bridge is made!" Gwyneth opened her mouth, which was glowing brightly and Gelth began to pour from her, flying around the room. "She has given herself to the Gelth!"

"There's rather a lot of them," Charles muttered, ducking to avoid them as they went over his head.

"The bridge is open. We descend!" Suddenly, just like last time, the blue gaseous Gelth burned like red flames, appearing almost demonic. "The Gelth will come through in force!" it hissed in a now deep voice.

"You said that you were _few_ in number!" Charles said to them.

"A few Billion," it said snidely in its childlike voice, the deep raspy one echoing it. "And all of us in need of corpses." Around them the bright blue Gelth sunk into the bodies in the morgue, and the dead began to stir. They sat up and moved from their table.

"Oh, Gwyneth," Sneed whispered before his voice became firm. "Stop this! Listen to your master. This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, leave these things alone. I beg of you-"

"Mr Sneed! Look out!" Rose shouted as she saw the Gelth possessed corpse come up behind him. She lunged forward to help him. But it was too late. The Gelth grabbed him. At the same time she felt someone grab her. She almost screamed until she realised it was the Doctor pulling her safely back and holding her to him.

They watched in horror as the Gelth broke Mr Sneed's neck. She flinched and curled into the Doctor's chest at the sight. She looked back up in time to see the light of a Gelth pouring into his body. He fell to his knees and looked up that them with blank, dead eyes.

"Rose, I think you may have been right," the Doctor said, his voice weak with shock.

"_May have been_?" she cried in distress.

"I have joined the legions of the Gelth," Sneed's body said. "Come. March with us."

"No…" Charles whispered fearfully.

Slowly the Gelth corpse army advanced on Rose and the Doctor. "We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead."

"Gwyneth, stop them! Send them back! Now!" he attempted, not realising there was nothing she could do.

"Three more bodies. Make them vessels for the Gelth."

Charles was somewhat safe, right by the door to the basement. "Doctor!" he called. "I - I - I can't! I'm sorry! This new world of yours, it's too much for me! I'm so-" There was a scream, and fearfully, he fled.

Noticing the almost dungeon like bared door to the next room, the Doctor pulled it open and half dragged, half carried Rose through before slamming and locking it. Still they went back as far as they could, pressed back against a wall and the drainage grate. The Gelth advanced until they were stretching their arms in to get them.

"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth."

"I trusted you," the Doctor said angrily. "I pitied you!"

"We don't want your pity!" they snapped. "We want this world and all its flesh."

"Not while I'm alive."

"Then live no more," they hissed.

"Because that wasn't obvious," Rose muttered. With her hand she searched around for some sort of tap. They had beaten them with gas last time, they could do it again. Finally she found one and twisted till it would go no more, and searched for more. "I'm not going to die."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Unless we find a way out of here, that could very much be the case. And it's all my fault. I bought you here."

"It's not your fault," she told him.

"I didn't listen to you. I should have listened to you. And now you're going to be hurt because I didn't. Because I was too blind to see what you were telling me… And what about me? I saw the fall of Troy! World War V! I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party! Now I'm going to die in a dungeon!" A horrified, disgusted look came over his face. "In _Cardiff_!"

"What is wrong with Cardiff?" She said in exasperation. She jumped as they Gelth frightened her by rattling the bars loudly. "But it's worse than that," she said quietly. "We don't just die… We'll become one of them. And I'm not letting that happen." She let out a small cough as the gas started to get to her. "We'll go down fighting, yeah?"

"Yeah," the told her.

"Together?"

"Yeah," he said. Almost at the exact same time they reached for each others hands and held tight. And for a moment, he stared down at her fondly. "I'm so glad I met you," he told her.

"Me too," she grinned at him. She held his hand tighter. She was feeling light headed. She let out another cough.

A worried look came across the Doctor's face. "Do you smell gas?" he asked.

Right then, Charles rushed back in, a handkerchief pressed to his nose and mouth. "Doctor! Doctor!" he cried. "Turn _off_ the flame, turn _up_ the gas! Now fill the room. All of it, now!" He rushed off and began fiddling with all the lamps.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor said in confusion.

"Gelth are made of gas," Rose said wearily, indicating to the dead lamp beside her that was spewing gas.

"Brilliant! Gas!" he cried. Then he seemed to realise something. "How long have you been breathing that in?" he asked in horror. Rose just shook her head in reply, trying not to choke.

"Am I right, Doctor?" Charles asked.

"Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound!"

Finally the Gelth seemed to notice Charles standing unprotected and slowly turned to him.

"I hope… oh, Lord. I hope that this theory will be validated soon… If not immediately."

"Plenty more!" the Doctor cried. He turned and ripped the gas pipe off the wall beside him. And immediately all the bodies fell to the floor as the Gelth were sucked from them with a scream.

"It's working," Charles nodded happily. But the Doctor didn't have long to agree as Rose slumped heavily onto him.

"Rose?" he asked, holding her up. Rose could barely focuses on him, let alone keep her eyes open. "Rose, look at me. Come on, stay awake." Her only reaction was to collapse into his chest. "Charles! Get her out of here!" he cried in distress.

Rose was vaguely aware of being handed from one pair of arms to another. Her feet felt like led as she attempted to drag them where she was being taken. But it was getting harder to breath and she was no longer sure what was going on or if she were standing, or lying down, or flying in the sky.

Black crept in around her, and she fell into the darkness.

**?...DW…?**

"-Come on, Rose, please. Wake up." She groaned as she was dragged back into consciousness. Her head was thumping and she felt slightly nauseous. "That's it. It's okay." Opening her eyes, a bury Doctor swam before her. Carefully, he helped her sit up on the cold, snow covered cobblestones.

"Gwyneth," she muttered the first thought in her head aloud. The Doctor's face fell.

"I'm so sorry, Rose. I tried. She closed the rift, sacrificed herself to do it. But she was already dead."

"I know," she whispered, her throat rough.

"How do you feel?"

"Like crap," she replied.

"Bluntly honest. We need to get you back to the TARDIS." He picked her up in his arms.

"I can walk, you know," she told him, ignoring her spinning head. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Actually, ah…" Charles stuttered. "I fear your ankle is a little worse off than before. I'm an old man, I'm not as young as I once was. I'm afraid it was a little difficult for me to carry you after you collapsed." He looked extremely sheepish.

"It's okay, Charlie," she told him. "Come on, let's get me to that beautiful blue box of yours. And then I can give you a kiss for being a very, very nice alien and fixing up my foot. Do you have those little glowing things like Jack? I never paid attention last time."

"You don't know what you're saying, do you?" the Doctor asked in amusement.

Rose hesitated. "…I was saying something?"

.

When they reached the TARDIS, the Doctor set Rose down so he could get out his key. "Right then, Charlie-boy, I've just got to go into my, um… shed. Wont be long!"

"Are you with anyone for Christmas?" Rose asked him, leaning against the blue box.

"No. But I will be. I shall take the mail coach back to London. Quite literally post-haste. This is no time for me to be on my own. I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital."

"Good on you," she grinned.

"You've cheered up!" the Doctor commented happily.

"Exceedingly!" he replied enthusiastically. "This morning I though I knew everything in the world, and now I know I've just started! All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor! I'm inspired. I must write about them!"

"Well, you do write good ghost stories, aliens are just the next step," Rose encouraged.

"Of course, I shall have to be subtle at first. 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this earth. 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Blue Elementals'. I can spred the word! Tell the truth!"

Rose let out a small laugh at his joyous expression. The Doctor grinned and shook the man's hand.

"Good luck with it. Nice to meet you. Fantastic."

"Bye, Charlie. Thanks for _everything_." She hobbled over to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. He looked pleasantly startled.

"Oh, my dear… How modern. Thank you. But, I don't understand. In what way is this goodbye?"

"You'll see. In the shed."

"Upon my soul, Doctor. It's one riddle after another with you. But after all these revelations, there's one mystery you still haven't explained. Answer me this… Who are you?"

"Just a friend. Passing through," he replied after a moment.

"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you. My books, Doctor. Do they last?"

"Oh, yes!"

"For how long?"

"Forever!" the Doctor told him honestly. Charles looked down at the ground, looking very pleased. "Right. Shed. Come on, Rose." He picked her up again and she let out a shrieking giggle.

"In - in the box? Both of you?" Charles said, slightly scandalised. Rose winked at him and his mouth fell open.

"Down boy," the Doctor told him. "See ya."

He carried Rose through and placed her on the jump seat while he set the dematerialisation sequence.

"It's so sad that he doesn't get to finish that book," she said.

"I know, but at least we gave him this. He's more alive than ever, right now. Hey, let's give old Charlie-boy one last surprise." He turned the screen so she could see it and launched the TARDIS. They watched his face as they faded from sight and he disappeared. Both of them had grins on their faces. "Alright you. Let's get you fixed up."

.

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><p><em><strong>Is it just me, or did it seem like the whole way through that episode, Rose was the only one with her head screwed on right? She clearly didn't trust the Gelth. It was fun sort of playing around with Mark's idea of it being a moral situation. Taking way the mystery turns it into fact, but it still had the two headstrong people saying 'I know what's right'.<strong>_

_**I know lots of you wanted me to save Gwen, but there really wasn't a way to do that. Plus, it shows Rose that she can't save everyone, that no matter what she does, even knowing the future, she can't stop some things from happening. Ultimately, this makes her doubt if she CAN stop the separation. **_

_**Got an in-betweener coming up next. Just very short, but hopefully a bit of a Rose / Doctor moment in there.**_


	8. Loose Connection

_**And, interlude 2. I was going to have him ask how she seems to know quite a bit, but at this point, I think he's still be more curious than anything. Just a few of the Doctor's thoughts and a cute moment. Enjoy!**_

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><p>.<p>

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***Loose Connection***

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The Doctor walked into the library, quietly leaning against the wall. He watched as Rose shifted, curling in into a ball on the couch, watching the flicker of flames in the fireplace. For a little moment he wondered how she had found this place, but decided that the TARDIS must have shown her.

It was strange how much his ship already liked this little human girl… how much _he_ liked her. There was something different about her. When he had tried to look into her timeline after she had said no, he couldn't really see anything. It was all hazy and only went a little way ahead before stopping. It didn't end with her death, he could see that. He just… couldn't see it.

That had been why he had gone back… well, that and he was lonely. She had done well, and he didn't want to take just anyone with him. The fact that he had _gone back_ for her miffed him beyond reason.

But there was something else about her. Something… odd. At first he had thought that she was slightly telepathic… but she seemed completely oblivious to that. She said she thought it would be cool to be psychic. Usually most people with a low level telepathic field or something similar had an inkling that there was something different about them.

And yet, this girl… she was so confident, so outgoing. She was hardly shocked by what was being thrown at her, comfortable with it even. She knew what was right and wrong, and she knew what to do… There was just something so different about her and he couldn't put his finger on it.

More than anything he just wanted to go in her head and look. Oh, that would be wonderful, to have that brush of another's mind against his. Even just once. It had been agony when he had lost them all. And he knew it wasn't the same, but ever since Rose had been here, he hadn't felt so alone. He liked her company.

She was just such a damned mystery!

.

Taking a deep breath, he walked in and leaned over the back of the couch.

"Hello," she said, feeling the movement.

"Hello."

Rose shuffled up so she was down one end of the couch, and taking the invitation he sat on the other end. Once he was sitting, she went back to her now slightly scrunched up lying position, but with her head on his lap. He was a little shocked that she already seemed so familiar with him. That she was comfortable enough with him to do that… And even more so, that he didn't seem to mind her invading his personal space.

There was silence in the room for a long moment. And he was the one to break it. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "I should have listened to you. I nearly got us both killed."

"No you didn't," she told him. "You just wanted to help. How were you supposed to know that they just wanted to kill everyone?"

"Because you kept trying to tell me," he said.

"We saw different things. You saw the victim, and I saw the creepy things that killed a man for no apparent reason… Actually, I'm not usually like that. I'm usually the one to see the victim. I mean… everyone's got to have some good in them, right?"

"Not a Dalek," he said.

"Aw, come on. I bet you can find_ some _good in a Dalek… whatever that is."

"I'll take that bet. Easy money. Ten quid?"

"You're on," Rose said, a wide grin on her face. Easy money yes… for her. She looked up to see the Doctor staring at her curiously. "What?"

"There's something about you," he said. "I can't put my finger on it."

"Well, you'll have a lot longer to figure it out," she said.

"Y-you want to keep travelling with me?" he said in surprise, a little happiness lighting up his voice.

"Yeah."

"After everything that's happened, you still want to come with me?"

"Yeah." Suddenly he grabbed her head and started looking at it intently, tilting it so he was looking in her ear. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for a loose connection in your brain," he told her. Rose snorted and swatted his hands away before settling back down on his lap. "You really want to come with me? Permanently … well, not exactly permanently, but for more than a few trips."

"Of course I do. So, we're going to have to go back to London so I can grab some of my things. And tell Mum I'm travelling, so she won't worry."

"Ugh… okay, yeah. That would probably be a good idea," he said.

The Doctor sighed. Taking her home? He never did that! Once you were on board, you were on board. No family visits, no popping home for more clothes. The day you went home was the day you stay home… Why did he seem so willing to do this for her?

A small part of his brain told him it was because he was lonely. And he was curious. There was just something about her. At times it seemed like she truly knew him, better than himself. The aliens didn't seem to surprise her and sometimes it seemed like she knew what was happening.

He wanted to know who she was.


	9. Aliens of London, Fake Crash

_**It's funny, when I first started this episode, I thought that it would be one of the hardest to change things about on, but as I wrote, new things just kept popping into my mind. So, I actually think this one is the most different to the script so far. I'm bringing a bit more personal issues into it a bit more.**_

_**Getting this one done slowly, but it will get there.**_

.

.

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><p><strong>*<strong>**A****liens ****o****f ****L****ondon***

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**Fake Crash**

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Rose quietly put the 'Book of Changes' notebook back in her draw. She had been so upset the day before, that she'd completely forgotten to fill it in. Now the next page had been drawn up, and filled in.

What was really sad was that this time, there was no one to put into the 'saved' column. And the biggest change she could jot down was her injured ankle.

She had come back to change things, to help people that she couldn't the first time. She hadn't done a thing… What if she couldn't when she needed to most?

.

Rose stepped from the TARDIS and looked around at the sunny space. This was just around the corner from where her mother lived. The Doctor followed her out and she smiled at him.

If things were the same as last time, then she was about to get something that she could hold over his head for _ages_.

"So, how long have I been gone, then?" she asked him.

"About twelve hours," he said smugly, leaning back against the TARDIS.

"Really, you sure about that? Hasn't been twelve minutes?"

"Oi! My driving isn't that bad!"

"Alright then. Well, I'm going to see Mum. Pack some bags."

"So you really want to stay with me?" he said.

"Yeah."

"For how long?"

"Is forever okay?" She poked out her tongue. Really she was just trying to make fun and block out the horribly ironic memory of telling him she would say with him forever, the day before they got separated.

"Stop being cheeky, you. And you can stay with me for as long as you like. But they eventually leave for one reason or another."

"Yeah, well, you've never had a companion like me," she said. "And you can't tell me that they all just decide to leave. Who would ever want to leave that life?!"

"You've seen it. It can be really dangerous. Some got tired of the danger. Some fell in love and stayed behind. Some carried on travelling on their own. Some wanted a normal life… Some died. And I'll admit I've kicked a few out." Rose snorted out laughing. Especially when she remembered Adam.

"Right, I should go. Mum."

"What are you going to tell her? Where you've been, where you're going."

"Easy. I'm going to tell her I'm going to travel the universe in a small wooden box that moves through space and time," she teased. "Though, I should probably start with. 'Hey, I'm home. Did you miss me?'" The Doctor just snorted and shook his head in amusement, assuming she was being sarcastic… She wasn't.

Smiling, she turned to him and pointed a reprimanding finger his way. "Stay," she ordered.

"Oi!" he cried. Rose just walked away laughing.

.

Rose waited a moment at the door, taking deep breaths to try and calm her breathing after running up the stairs. And to calm her nerves.

She had no idea how to handle this. It would be okay… Mickey would have told her that she would be gone for a year and Jackie had always trusted Mickey before the 'murder' fiasco. But she really should have called half a dozen times from the TARDIS. Then she couldn't be angry at her for just 'disappearing'… She really should have thought that through.

She took her key from her pocket and opened the door.

"Mum!" she called. "Mum! Mum, I'm back. I'm home!" She went further into the house where she knew her mother would probably be and continued to yell for her. Just like last time, she bumped into a pale faced, tired looking Jackie. "I'm home! Did you miss me?"

"Rose…"

"Yeah. See, I said-"

"It's you!" Jackie cried.

"What?" The mug dropped from the woman's hand. "Mum?!"

"It's really you? Oh my god, it's you! Oh my god." Then sobbing, she pulled her daughter into her arms. Over her shoulder, Rose saw the missing fliers groaned. And that, of course, was right when the Doctor came crashing in.

"Erm," he said sheepishly. "It's not twelve hours. It's er… twelve moths. You've been gone a whole year." She just shot evils at him. Annoyed at him for getting it wrong in the first place and Mickey for not passing her message on. He just gave a small apologetic laugh. "Sorry."

Could she get one thing right?!

* * *

><p><strong>?…DW…?<strong>

* * *

><p>Both Rose and the Doctor winced as Jackie's shrill voice pierced their ears. She had been going on at them for a good hour. Even before the policeman had arrived. She'd quite literally heard it all before. And what was worse, she still couldn't think of better answers.<p>

"The hours I've sat here. Days and weeks and months, all on my own. I thought you were dead! And where were you? Travelling! What the hell does that mean? Travelling? That's no sort of answer." She turned to the officer. "You ask her. She won't tell me! That's all she says. '_Travelling_'!"

"Yeah, well… that _was_ what I was doing…" she said sheepishly.

"Well your passport's still in the draw. It's just one lie after another!"

"You don't always need your passport. We went everywhere by car. Stayed in Cardiff for a few days. But most of the time we were in remote places. No cell service. I would have called, but… I couldn't."

"For a year? An entire year? You couldn't just drive back to say hello, or drive into town to use a phone? Not once? And I'm left sitting here? I just don't believe you! Why won't you tell me where you've been?"

"Actually, it's my fault. I sort of, er… employed Rose as my companion."

"When you say 'companion', is this a sexual relationship?" the officer asked.

"No!" they both cried. Rose opened her mouth to spin something up, but Jackie bet her to it. She advanced dangerously on the Doctor, making him take a step back.

"Then was is it? Because you! You waltz in here, all charms and smiles, and the next thing I know, she vanishes off the face of the earth! How old are you, then? forty? forty-five? What, did you find her on the internet? Did you go on line and pretend you're a doctor?!"

"I _am_ a Doctor!" he defended weakly, slightly bewildered by the forceful woman.

"Prove it!" she said. "Stitch this, mate!" And with that, she swung her hand round and slapped him.

"Mum!" Rose called out, too late. She stood from her chair and went over to the furious woman. "He _is_ a Doctor. A scientist. He works for a top secret special taskforce, called, erm… (oh what was it)… UNIT! He works for UNIT. He hired me as his research assistant when my job blew up. I couldn't call you or tell you where I was because I wasn't authorised to."

"UNIT? Never heard of it," the officer said.

"Stands for United Nations Intelligence Taskforce," the Doctor groaned. "I've worked there a long time. As Rose said, it's a _secret_ taskforce. Call in with the higher authorities. I can assure you it exists. Since the 1970's at least. Not even I know when it's founded, and that's saying something."

"I'll see abut then," the officer said. He stood and left the room, putting his phone to his ear as he went.

"Top secret? What a load of bull!" Jackie snorted. "First you're a doctor, now you're a scientist!"

"Well, I am a Doctor. It's my name."

"Of what?" Jackie challenged.

"A lot of things. Medical… although, my healing is somewhat limited. Sadly I'm better at autopsies." He shivered. "At least twelve different kinds of sciences. And… well, we'd be standing here all day if I told you how smart I was."

"Why, you-" It looked like she was about to slap him again, but he was saved when the officer came in.

"Well, seems he's telling the truth. I got put straight through to the brigadier. Was told that they trust this man completely. He's been working for them for many years and had quite a few assistants. Almost all of them have ended up with a missing persons file once or twice. I'm afraid they told me to drop the case, Mrs Tyler. Besides, she's home safe. There's nothing much else we can do."

"But-"

"I'm sorry. Good day."

Rose and the Doctor let out a sigh of relief as the officer left.

* * *

><p><strong>?…DW…?<strong>

* * *

><p>Rose sat in the kitchen, her mother in front of her, tears running down both their cheeks. She hadn't wanted it to be this way. She had hoped they would know. That her mother wouldn't have had to put up with that pain.<p>

It wasn't to be.

"Did you think about me at all?" Jackie asked tearfully.

"Yes. Yes of course I did. How couldn't I? But…"

"One phone call. Just to know you were alive!

"I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. I wanted to… It wasn't supposed to be like this…"

"Do you know what terrifies me, is that you still can't say. What happened to you, Rose? What could be so bad that you can't tell me, sweetheart? Where were you?!"

"It wasn't bad!" she suddenly shouted. She loved her mother, she really did, but she couldn't put up with this. Not again. "It was brilliant and wonderful and fantastic! I can't tell you because you'd think I was _insane_!"

"Try me."

"Okay. All that time, I was travelling around the universe in a little blue box that travels in space and time. I've been five billion years in the future and seen the world end. I met Charles Dickens. And I've only been gone a few days. But we're a year late, because the Doctor _can't drive!"_

"Don't you mess with me, Rose Tyler. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"No. I don't. You're one of the smartest women I know. You care a lot about our family and you would do anything to protect that… I know. But I am telling the truth. You'll see that soon. And I am going back with him. I'm gong to travel with that man for ages. This time I'll come back, I promise."

"_Travel in time!_ You sound like a loony!"

"Good, at least I'm doing something right!"

Jackie just cried in frustration and stormed out of the room, shouting at the Doctor on her way.

* * *

><p><strong>?…DW…?<strong>

* * *

><p>Rose sat up on the roof of their apartment, looking out over the city. She swung her legs and enjoyed the breeze while she tried to think of how she could make things better. Her mother thought she was utterly insane!<p>

She kept staring out into the distance as the Doctor came up behind her and leant beside her on the wall. She glanced at him an pulled her feet up so her knees were to her chest.

"You told her about the TARDIS?"

"I said I was going to," she said.

"God, Rose, I thought you were joking!" he cried, throwing up his arms.

"She was going to find out anyway."

"Yeah, but… Couldn't you have found a better way to tell her? She'll think you're mad now."

"Oh, no doubt about it. But, I couldn't lie to her. I can't do that again. She was so upset. And I had to tell her _something_!"

"So you told her the truth?!" he said incredulously.

"I told her the truth," she nodded.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Rose was taken aback a moment. "About what?"

"Dropping you back late. You've missed an entire year because of me."

"Oh, right… Well, hopefully my timeline's gonna get a little messy now. I don't mind so much. It's Mum you've got to apologise to."

"Still, I'm sorry."

"What was it like? The year I missed."

"So, so," the Doctor replied. "Nothing _overly_ exciting happened."

Rose sighed. "Oh, You're so useless!"

"Are you sure you still want to come with me… after your mother…"

"Yeah, 'course. She'll get over it. This is something that makes me happy, and at some point she'll get that through her stubborn head and be okay with it… But we _have _ to go back for visits. I can't put her through that again."

"Well, she's not coming with us!" Rose cracked up laughing, and her smile grew when the Doctor joined in.

"Nope! No chance. I'm a nineteen year old, living with my mother. Do you have _any_ idea how annoying that can get?"

"Good. Because I don't do families."

"Scared of domestics?"

"Oi?!"

Rose laughed. "I can't believe she slapped you!"

"900 years of time and space, and I've never been slapped by someone's mother," he grumbled.

"Oh, god! Your face! It was so hilarious!"

"It hurt!"

"You're so gay!" she laughed.

She lay back so she was staring at the sky. She couldn't wait to get back up there. According to the TARDIS, she was different now. She would live as long as the TARDIS. She could travel with him for hundreds of years… Oh, right, he'd said 900 years… She should probably be reacting to that…

"Hang on, you said 900 years…"

"Yep, that's my age,' he said seriously. Of course she knew this, and she was used to it.

"Wow… Looking good for an old man." The Doctor let out a small laugh at this.

"I'm actually not _that_ old… for my species anyway." Rose was silent for longer than he was comfortable with, and he looked at her again. "What?"

"I was just thinking… What if you weren't alone?"

"Rose, I can tell, there are no other Time Lords out there."

"Yeah but… what if there was someone out there, someone you like, that could live as long as you do. Keep you company?"

The Doctor hesitated for a while. "I've already told you… nobody stays."

"I'll stay," she said. The Doctor said nothing.

Suddenly they were distracted as a loud noise rung out over London. They turned to see a smoking spaceship fly right over them. It narrowly missed their head. They ducked down and watched as it headed off towards the city.

It wobbled around, coming close to hitting many landmarks. Like last time, it did crash through Big Ben. Finally, it crashed into the Thames and stopped. They stood with their mouths open a moment.

"You got to be kidding me!" she said, breaking the silence. The Doctor began to laugh gleefully, and a smile spread across her face. Then he grabbed her hand and dragged her off towards the door.

* * *

><p><strong>?…DW…?<strong>

* * *

><p>Just like last time, when they reached the Thames, there were large crowds, and UNIT officers keeping them back.<p>

"It's blocked off," the Doctor said, slightly disappointed.

"We're miles off. We've got no chance of getting in. I bet all of London is closed down."

"I know! I can't _believe_ I'm here to see this! This is fantastic!"

"But, I didn't think we were supposed to get alien contact for a few hundred years," she said.

"Well, it's not. But time can be re-written, Rose. This is what I travel for! To see history happening right in front of us. Alien contact isn't supposed to happen till 3062. But here it is, right now! Just yesterday you were all tiny and just suspecting and dreaming of alien life, now it's right in front of you. The universe at you're doorstep!"

"You're like a little kid at Christmas!" Rose laughed.

"So what if I am?"

"Nothing. It's just cute."

"Cute!" the Doctor said, so appalled his voice cracked. "Cute! If there is one thing I am not, Rose Tyler, it is _cute!_" This, of course, just made Rose laugh more.

"'Course not," she said, giving her tongue in teeth grin. "So, we going to go check it out, or are we going to stand here all day till the UNIT guys find the alien."

"Yep… Just one problem, though, we have no way in. All the paths are blocked, and I don't want to get the TARDIS involved. They've already got one spaceship in the middle of London, don't want to shove another one on top."

"Right then," she sighed. "There's only really one thing left to do."

"What's that?"

"Watch it on TV like everyone else. Never know, might find out something important." She grabbed his hand, and led him out of the crowed, stammering away. "Oh, actually, there's something I need to do first. You head back to Mum's and start channel flicking. I'll be there soon, yeah?"

"B-but, Rose!" he wined, but she was already gone.

.

After finding her way out of the confusing crowds, Rose made her way to a very familiar little store. It was just a corner shop near the estate. She still had the money from the lottery in her pocket. It would be enough for what she needed.

Knowing the place so well, it wasn't long till she found what she was looking for. Vinegar. Vinegar killed Slitheen. And the faster it would be to kill them, the safer she would feel about leaving her mother alone.

She grabbed three bottles of the stuff, then did a double take when she saw one of those children's sour squirt candies. The bottle had a lid that she could pry off, and put back on. It was small enough to keep in her pocket.

Buying these, she began her walk to Mickey's hose, eating the squirt candy as she went. By the time she got there, the candy was finished. She was glad to find that the flat was locked. Mickey must have been out with the rest of the crowds.

Luckily, she knew where he kept his spare key, and let herself in. She was only mildly surprised to see that his computer area had been set up as a Doctor tracking station. Heading to the kitchen, she washed out the empty squirt bottle, and filled it up with vinegar. Then she put the bottles in his cupboards.

She locked the house again, and headed past the TARDIS, around the corner to her mum's flat. There she found her mum and the Doctor arguing.

"Oh, give I a rest," she sighed, then flopped on the couch.

Already, friends, neighbours and family were flooding in to watch the spectacle on TV. Of course, rather than actually watching the TV, they were all chatting and catching each other up what had been happening. Once again, she was given an earful about running off on her mother by their neighbour, Marianna.

Jackie was, thankfully, distracted making tea and pouring wine for everyone, but when she wasn't, she was glairing at the Doctor and shooting worried looks at Rose. She was even glairing at the TV. It was clear that she didn't like this alien nonsense… especially since it gave her already 'mentally fragile' daughter room to believe even further that what she'd been saying was true.

This time, Rose was mostly paying attention to the Doctor, and the TV, instead of the people who hadn't seen her in a year. So she heard about the meeting at 10 Downing Street, and she heard about a body in the Thames that was being taken to a 'secure unit mortuary'. AKA: Albion Hospital. Also, she heard that the Prime Minister was missing… She could still remember finding his body…

And worse, she knew that she would not be able to save him.

.

It wasn't long till the scene became too much for the Doctor, and looking about, he slipped out of the house. Rose could almost see the panic and anxiousness in his eyes. She knew that soon, he would be different. Soon, crowds wouldn't bother him so much, and he would actually come to like her family. This was now.

"Where are you going?" she asked, following him out.

"Nowhere!" he said quickly.

"Look, I know that you don't like… well people, and my mum can be nag-y. And it's bit overwhelming-"

"Rose," he stopped her. "It's okay. It's just a little human in there for me. I mean, history just happened, and they're talking about where you can buy dodgy top up cards for half price! I'm off on a wander, that's all."

"You mean, going to check out the alien, now it's not smack bang in the middle of London?"

"Erm, well."

"It's okay!" she replied quickly. "I mean, knowing you, I'd be worried if you didn't."

"Oh, well, it's noting to do with me really. It's not an invasion. That was a genuine crash landing. Angle of decent, colour of smoke, everything! It's perfect!"

Rose smiled at how excited he was about it. To be honest, it helped cover up the fact that she knew that he was wrong. That this was an invasion… well, kind of. The crash was an actual crash, but it was choreographed. It was all planned.

"Okay, so…"

"So maybe this is it! First contact! The day mankind officially comes into contact with an alien race. I'm not interfering, because you've got to handle this on your own. That's when the human race filly grows up. Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay! Now you can expand!" He laughed in delight, making Rose grin.

"So, you're just curious, then. Can I come, too?"

The Doctor looked at her kindly for a moment. "Rose, if you really are going to come travelling with me, then maybe you should go spend some time with your mother. You may not be missing her yet, but she's missed you more than anything."

"Okay… Why do you keep saying 'if'? I'm going with you. I promise. So don't you dare run off without me."

"Tell you what," the Doctor said, smiling. He went into his pocket and pulled out his own key. "TARDIS key. About time you had one." He handed it to her. "See you later."

Rose gave a small wave, then looked down at the key in her hand. She was so used to it, she would know the feel of it anywhere, but it was only just now that she had realised… This was _his_ key. He hadn't just given her a spare, or a copy or anything. He had given her _his_ key. He had grumbles that he'd spent a good hour looking for the spare for her. This time she noticed that the key he'd used had a small Gallifreyan symbol carved into it, and after giving her this, the other key didn't.

Looking at the symbol, she felt the TARDIS in her mind, pushing the meaning of the word into her head. It was just a feeling, but a powerful one… It felt like home.

.

Smiling slightly, she held tight to the key. Then she turned, and went back inside, listening as the sound of the TARDIS engines faded into the night.


	10. Aliens of London, Not Bonkers

_**Hey! Sorry I haven't updated anything in AGES. You know how it is. Home, work, stress, issues. And to top it all off, I lost about 10 pages worth of work on different documents. Since then my brain kind of shuts down when I go to rewrite it... I guess I just feel stink about losing that much and it's a struggle to remember.**_

_**Sorry if there's any spelling mistakes. I tried to check it, but my insomnia is back at full swing. Only been getting about an hour a night. On the brighter side. I've started a Doctor Who / Les Mis crossover. The first chapter is already done. I don't know if I'll post it right away, or wait till I've written another chapter or post more to other stories first. You decide.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

**Not Bonkers**

.

.

Rose was so over this. People had been at her mum's house for hours. All of them drinking and talking. Right now, she was bored and had a _massive_ headache. She couldn't deal with this.

Why the hell were they celebrating anyway? They just had a spaceship crash land, by all rights, they should be panicking, or speculating more… Not drinking and holding 'Welcome ET' parties!

And if they knew the truth, like she did…

"Here's to the Martians!" Jackie cried, raising her wine glass.

"To the Martians!" everyone chorused, hoisting their glasses in the air. The cheer was followed immediately by laughing and chatting and the constant noise of the TV. The TV unsettled her.

Rose rolled her eyes, and turned away. She rested her head on her hand, rubbing circles into her temples. She didn't know how much more she could take of this… noise. Hold on… It had just gone extremely quite. No one was talking, or laughing, or making a sound. The only noise in the room was coming from the telly.

Oh crap.

Slowly, she turned to the door to see a shocked Mickey. Everyone in the room was either looking at him or at her.

"Hey, Mickey!" she said sitting up. "I was about to come over. Just… everyone was still saying hi, and…" She gulped as he just stared at her. God, how much shit had she put him through in her life?

"Someone owes Mickey an apology," Marianna scolded. It still seemed like it was still directed at her, and though she knew it wasn't, Rose still felt the need to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, Mickey. I'm really, _really_ sorry."

"Not you," Marianna told her. Then her head turned to Jackie.

"It's not my fault," Jackie said in annoyance. "Be fair, what was I supposed to think?" She glanced at Mickey, then strode off into the kitchen.

Mickey was still staring at Rose, making her feel uncomfortable. "H-how about we go, erm… sort it out with her?" she said uncertainly. Still Mickey didn't move. So she stood up, grabbed his sleeve, and led him after Jackie.

"I'm not apologizing," Jackie said stubbornly, the second they were in the room. "It's what everyone else thought, too."

"I'm sorry, what?" Rose said. "What's he done wrong?"

"Murdered you, apparently," Mickey said bitterly.

"What?"

"You disappear. Who do they turn to? Your boyfriend. Then of course, they find out he's now the _ex_-boyfriend. Even more motive. Five times, I was taken in for questioning. _Five times_. No evidence! Of course, there couldn't be, could there. And then I get her. Your mother." He pointed over at Jackie, sitting on the stool. "Whispering around the estate, pointing the finger, stuff through my letterbox. And all 'cause of you."

"It wasn't supposed to turn out like this…"

"Then how was it supposed to turn out? Honestly, you think everyone would believe it when the number one suspect in our case said 'she'll be back in a year'. That's how long I waited for you, Rose! Twelve months. Waiting for you and the Doctor to come back."

"Hold on, you knew about the Doctor?" Jackie cried. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Suddenly Mickey noticed someone listening in on them and shut the kitchen window, then closed the door. "Yeah, yeah. Why not, Rose? Huh? How could I tell her where you went?"

"Tell me now."

"Yeah, go on," Rose said. "Tell her where I've been. She won't believe me!"

"Y-you told her?" Mickey stuttered.

"Course I told her. She's my mum."

"Bloody hell, Rose, you can't just go telling Jackie stuff like that. She'll think you've gone bonkers." Rose just gestured to her mother to indicate that she did. "Where _did_ you go, anyway?"

"Erm, the year 5.5/Apple/26: five billion years in the future. Saw the end of the world. Sun expanded. There was this… show platform so that rich aliens could come and celebrate its passing. Went to few off world places. Just short trips. And then we went back to 1869 and met Charles Dickens."

"You… You serious?" he said in disbelief.

"Yeah."

"You went to the past, _and_ to the future?"

"Did you not hear him say 'Did I mention, it also travels in time'?" she attempted to imitate his voice. She got the tone perfect, but his voice was too low for her to do it properly.

"Oh, bloody hell, you're both barmey!"

"No we're not," Rose defended. "Come on, I'll show you."

"Where are we going?" Mickey asked.

"To the TARDIS."

"Ha! Yeah, well, you can't. He's left you. You're stuck here."

"Noooo," she corrected. "He got bored and went to check out the alien. He should be back soon. Now come on." And with that, she walked from the room, simply expecting them to follow. And she knew that they would.

* * *

><p><strong>?...DW...?<strong>

* * *

><p>"Well, Rose, I don't see him," Mickey gloated.<p>

"Oh, give it a rest, would you," she snapped. "He's coming."

"Just face it. He's dumped you, Rose. Sailed off into space. How does it feel, huh? Now you are left behind with the rest of us Earthlings. Get used to it."

"I told you, he's on his way back soon! You watch, the TARDIS will materialize back here any minute now."

"That's it," Jackie said. "You're _both_ bonkers! Listen to the two of you! Aliens, disappearing space boxes, time travel! What did that man do to you?!" Rose just rolled her eyes.

"Well, her boyfriend showed up and decided-"

"For god's sake, he's not my boyfriend! He's something… It's better than anything like that. He's more important to me than anyone else that you could ever imagine! I-" She cut off when she felt a warmth radiating from her pocket and grinned. She pulled it out to see its glow fade in and out as the sounds of the TARDIS faded in around them.

"Told you," she said, the wind whipping her hair about.

"What… What is that? What's happening?" Jackie said, looking about in panic. Her eyes focused of the spot where the light of the TARDIS could be seen flashing in and out of existence.

"This, is where I've been for the last few days." Behind her, the TARDIS finished materializing.

"How did you do that, then?" her mother said in bewilderment.

"It's a TARDIS. A living ship. It can travel in time and space. Doesn't fly, not that I know of, just… materializes where we want… Or where we don't want. Come on."

Smiling, she turned and walked into the ship. The Doctor stood with his back to her, looking at the console screen. She felt, more than saw that Mickey and her mum had followed her.

"It was a pig!" he said to her without turning around. "The alien. It was a bloody pig! Someone wired up its brain to make it appear alien. And the whole crash lading's a fake. I thought so, it's just _too_ perfect. I mean, hitting Big Ben, come on. So I though, let's go have a look and-"

"Doctor," she interrupted him, not wanting him to be too shocked when he finally turned away from her or the screen. "My mum's here."

"Eh?"

"I… kind of brought my mum on board…" She winced at his look.

He whipped around to see Jackie and Mickey looking around. "Oh, great. That's _just_ what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic!"

"Domestic? Please, they just stepped on the ship. A ship that Mum didn't believe in. She thought I was crazy… not so much anymore."

"You ruined my life, Doctor," Mickey suddenly spoke up. The Doctor spun to face him and Rose groaned.

"Not now, please, Mickey," she begged. She knew he was only trying to get his point across, but it really wasn't going to register with the Doctor.

"They thought she was dead. I was a murder suspect because of you."

"See what I mean? Domestic," the Doctor said to her, narrowing his eyes. He turned back to the computer.

"I bet you don't even remember my name!" he cried. Rose groaned. Couldn't they just go to Downing Street and get rid of the Slitheen already?

"Ricky," the Doctor stated.

"It's Mickey."

"No, it's Ricky."

"I think I know my own name."

"You _think_ you know your own name? How stupid are you?"

"All right, enough!" she growled them. At the authority in her voice, both men froze, then stood back. They turned away from each other like sulking children, glancing at her sheepishly.

"Sorry," the Doctor muttered to her. She was almost shocked to hear him say that. The shock passed pretty quickly when she saw her mother dashing from the TARDIS.

"Mum!" she called. "Ugh. Great! Bloody hell, now what?"

"Aren't you going to go after her?"

"And do what, Mickey? What can I do or say that will change her mind, or get her to make sense of this? Besides, it's not like there's much I can do. She'll be freaked and angry at me. I'm better off here."

"Rose, you sure? She's missed you this whole year." Mickey seemed resolute until he saw the change in her demeanour. He knew her well enough to know that she was hurting about something.

"I know," she replied quietly. "I never meant for this to happen. I..." Was doing everything wrong. She was supposed to be here to help people. To change things. She had failed Gwyneth, and she'd failed her mother... She was doing something wrong. None of it was meant to be like this. She was supposed to be fixing things... And she wasn't.

The Doctor softened seeing her like this. Even he could tell that something was wrong. "Well, I don't know much about your Mum, but I'll tell you one thing I do. That woman is tough as nails. And if she's anything like you, she'll be stubborn as hell. But I get the feeling you both come round quickly for the ones you care about."

This made Rose smile a little. "Yeah... So," she suddenly perked up. "That was a _real_ spaceship? Not a fake one. A real ship with a fake crash."

The Doctor picked up on her change of subject. He was used to that. He did it all too often himself. If Rose needed to be distracted, he would oblige. "Yep," he said, carrying on with her chipper tone.

"Why would they do that? Not many humans could get their hands on a real spaceship, let alone have the power to launch it around the Earth. What, are they trying to make a distraction so they can sneak invade?"

"Funny way to sneak in," Mickey said, peeking over their shoulders at the screen. "Putting the world on red alert. Everyone will be watching the skies."

"Good point!" the Doctor said, mildly impressed at the both of them. "So, what are they up to?"

"Well, if everyone's watching the skies, they can't get in... what if they're already here?"

"That would make sense. They'd have to get the pig from here. Which just brings back the point, what are they up to?"

The screen flicked to the latest news and for a while, the three of them watched the report. Eventually they got bored and turned it off. The Doctor began tinkering and Rose told them she'd be back soon.

She walked down the corridor into her room. The first thing that she noticed was that the room had expanded. It now had a second layer, a large platform running around the entire edge of the room. It was _much_ wider, and the roof was _much_ higher. The ceiling had been changed to show a view of open space. It looked like space was just there, as if she were looking out the TARDIS door instead of seeing a projection. At the moment it was settled on the Carina Nebula, one of her many favourites.

All around the room were new things like photo-frames, shelves, draws and cupboards. It looked even emptier now, but they both knew it wasn't long till it would be filled. Even though she never had much money, she had a ridiculous amount of stuff. And she would collect even more things on her travels. Last time she only moved in what she thought was necessary at first. This time she was bringing it all.

"Well," she said, a small smile on her face. "This is it. By tomorrow, I am officially on-board. Forever."

* * *

><p><strong>?...DW...?<strong>

* * *

><p>"So, what are you doing down there?" Mickey asked the Doctor, looking down into here he was wedged in under the console. Rose looked up at him. She knew he was bored, but talking to the Doctor was not the best way to go about fixing that.<p>

"Rickey," the Doctor said, his voice muffled by the Sonic Screwdriver in his mouth.

"Mickey!"

"Rickey," the Doctor reiterated, just as firmly. He'd taken the Sonic out, and now it was easier to understand him. "If I was to tell you what I was doing to the controls of my frankly magnificent time ship, would you even begin to understand?"

"I suppose not..."

"Shut it, then."

Rose frowned at the way the Doctor was speaking. She knew that right now he would be wearing that cheeky, sarcastic grin, but she still didn't like the way he talked to Mickey. She didn't understand. He'd liked Mickey almost instantly after regenerating, hugging him and everything. Why was it so different now?

'_Why does the Doctor hate him?_' she asked the TARDIS, miffed by it all.

'_Take you away...'_ was the short reply she'd gotten. Take her away? The Doctor was scared that Mickey would take her away? Or... or that she would want to go back to him... Well that wasn't going to happen. It could never happen, even if she _had_ wanted it.

But then... why would he be this worried so early on? She'd only been with him a week. He couldn't love her already, could he? Like her, yes. That was clear. Care for her... there was a possibility that he cared enough. She recalled that at some point soon she would hear him attempt to put her ahead of the world... She also recalled that he was alone. He was alone and broken after something that had left him devastated... she was his companion. A distraction, a friend, a hand to hold. Someone to make him feel better, and feel safe. She was his rock right now... of course he needed her.

And she never planned to leave, if she could help it.

"Some friend you've got there," Mickey said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Just ignore him," she told him. "He's just winding you up because he's a jealous sod."

"Oi! Why would I be jealous of a stupid ape like him?"

"Shush, you. Keep working." She heard him grumble and smiled. "You okay?" she said, turning to Mickey again.

"Yeah, I guess..." he said. "Just... a year. All that time. Did you even think of me at all? Of any of us?"

"Mick, it's only been a few days for me. A week at most."

"So, not enough time to miss us, then."

"I did miss you a little," she told him. "I mean, all those things out there... I kept think how much you would have liked it too."

"Thanks," he said, knowing she meant it. Something was different about her. Quite different, and he doubted she was only gone a week, but he did believe that she'd missed them.

"So, erm... you've been single a year now. Or are you? You been seeing anyone?"

"No. No, ah, mainly because everyone thinks I murdered you."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. So, um... now that you're back, are you gonna stay?" He looked at her slightly pleadingly. She had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

"Got it!" the Doctor cried before she could reply. With an apologetic smile, she went to the Doctor's side to look at the screen. "Patched in the radar, looped it back twelve hours so we can follow the flight of the spaceship. Here we go... hold on..." He banged on the screen, which seemed to be frozen. "Come on... That's the spaceship on it's way to Earth, see?" he said, pointing at the screen to show her. "Except... hold on... see, the spaceship did did a slingshot around the Earth before it landed."

"So the ship itself came from Earth. Not just the pig. They launched it from here."

"Yep, just like you said, they're already here. Probably been here for a while. Just, what you said about humans not having the power to launch the ship, I realized that was what was bugging me. The angle of decent was just a little strange."

"So, where would we find aliens that are clever enough to hide amongst humans, but are stupid enough to put the world on red alert?" she asked.

"...Right were everything's happening."

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><p><strong>?...DW...?<strong>

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><p>"How many channels do you get?" Mickey asked, looking at the screen that was once again playing the news.<p>

"All the basic packages," the Doctor replied.

"You get sports channels?"

"Yes, I get the football," he said in exasperation, before he saw something on the screen. "Hold on, I know that bloke." The reporter went on about how the government were calling in alien specialists and the doctor grinned. "UNIT! United Nations Intelligence Task-force. Good people... Speaking of which, how do you know them?"

"Eh?" Rose said in confusion.

"This morning, you said that we were working for UNIT. How did you know about them."

"Well, I had to find you, didn't I," she said, thinking quickly. "I wanted to know who you were, so I did dome research. Found some stuff on you and UNIT."

"You were looking for me?"

"Yeah, but all my leads didn't really get me anywhere... except land with a plastic Mickey." The Doctor laughed at that. He didn't need to be told that that was when _he_ found _her_.

"So, if you know them, why don't you go help them," Mickey said. "They could get you in. And by the sounds of it, that might be where you want to be."

"They wouldn't recognise me. I've changed a lot since the old days. Besides, the world's on a knife-edge. There's aliens out there, and fake aliens. We want to keep this alien out of the mix. We're going undercover... And, ah, better keep the TARDIS out of sight. Rickey! You've got a car. You can do some driving." He turned and went towards the door.

"Where to?!"

"The roads are clearing. Let's go and look at that spaceship."

They stepped out of the TARDIS, into blinding lights of helicopter search lights. People ordered them not to move and police cards moved in to surround them. Jackie was trying to get to them, shouting out her name. Panicking, Mickey made a run for it, escaping without being caught.

"Raise your hands above your head!" someone ordered. "You are under arrest!"

They both did so with a grin. "Take me to your leader!" the Doctor said cheekily.

A bunch of guards came fourth and gripped them by the arm, leading them towards a car. "Doctor and companion, you will come with us."

"So much for keeping 'this alien' out of the mix," she muttered to him, making him smile. They were bundled into a nice black car. "Ooh, this is a bit posh. What are we, special guest prisoners?"

"Special guest, yes. Prisoners, no. We're not being arrested, we're being escorted!" he said gleefully.

"Oh, cool. Where to?"

"Where do you think? Downing Street!" He laughed and Rose joined in. It was actually quite nostalgic for her. She never actually found out if they rebuilt it.

"Bloody hell! You're joking, right? 10 Downing Street! Oh, that's brilliant!"

"I know!"

"Why are they taking us there? Are we going to join the UNIT guys?"

"Probably," he said. "I mean, over the years I've visited this planet a lot of times, and I've been, ah... noticed."

"And they know you're good wit this kind of stuff," she guessed, grinning ear to ear. It was so nice to see him this happy, this giddy. And she just loved it.

"Exactly, they're gathering experts on aliens. And who's the biggest expert of the lot?"

Rose looked at him blankly for a moment. "Patrick Moore?" she said to wind him up. It worked. Instantly the Doctor's face fell.

"Apart from him!"

"Oh, you just loved this!" she laughed. "You and your big... ego."

"Ego?!" he said perplexed.

"Yup... and ears."

"Hey! What's wrong with my ears?!"

"Nothing. I like them," she grinned. "Just... promise me you won't try to fly."

"Yeah, yeah. Very funny, Miss Tyler."

Rose couldn't stop herself laughing as they pulled up to 10 Downing Street. As they got out of the car, cameras were pointed at them from all directions. The pair of them began to wave and show the crowed some love, playing it all up.

She kept playing along, being all excited, but as she got closer to the building her nerves grew. She had never liked the Slitheen. Raxocoricofalipatorians were all right. They were generally a peaceful race that only took harsh judgement on it's own kind, not believing that they had the authority to choose the punishments of other cultures. The Slitheen, how ever... they had caused a lot of trouble. She just hopped she could do better this time.

When they were inside they were directed to the foyer. It was filled with people and amongst them, Rose could see Margaret taking to a few people. Part of her wanted to act now, but another part knew she had to wait... But on the other hand... she knew a lot of people were about to die.

Oh god... all those people who would be going into the room with the Doctor. He had told her they had all died... how was she supposed to stop that? Especially when she had to save Harriet and hopefully that other sectary guy at the same time...

"Ladies and Gentlemen," a voice called, and she looked up to see the very man that she had been thinking of. The same man that she had seen Margaret strangle to death. "Could we convene? Quick as we can, please. It's this way, on the right. And can I remind you, ID cards are to be worn at all times." He saw them and came over. "Here's your ID card," he said, handing it to the Doctor. "I'm sorry, but your companion doesn't have clearance."

"I don't go anywhere without her," the Doctor told him, putting the ID card's lanyard around his neck.

"You're the code nine, not her."

"No, you don't understand. I have to go in there too," she protested. She had to at least _attempt _ to help them. Even if she could get in there for a few minutes and tell them to... to what? The Doctor had only told her in passing what had killed them and she couldn't remember what it was...

"I'm sorry, Doctor... it is the Doctor, isn't it?" He gave a small nod in reply. "She'll have to stay outside."

"She's staying with me," the Doctor insisted...

Suddenly it seemed as if the rest of the world melted away, her vision overcome by images. She saw a man, standing in this every room right now, a UNIT officer. She saw him in the room, dying as an electrical current ran through him. She saw a little girl holding onto her mother as they cried. She saw the little girl, older now, being spared by a Dalek. Years later, the girl, now a woman with children of her own, looks down at a picture of her father and smiles as she boards the space-shuttle to Bowie Base One. She sees the woman blow the place up to stop a contamination spread. Now, years later on, she saw a young woman, her granddaughter in a spaceship herself, coming home after many years. A hero to the human race... the one to show them a new way, out into the stars...

Rose had to hold back a gasp as she was snapped back to reality and her brain dealt with the information that had just flooded in in a split second. Susie Brooke, granddaughter of Adelaide Brooke, great granddaughter of Gerald East... their entire line was a fixed point in time... Not the type that couldn't be changed no matter what, but the kind that _had_ to stay the same, no matter what. If Gerald East didn't die in the room-next door tonight, then his daughter would never become interested in his works. And if that never happened, then Adelaide would never go into space, and neither would her granddaughter.

...Gerald East had to die or the future of the human race was stunted.

"...Rose, are you okay?" the Doctor said as he grabbed her shoulder. He must have already said her name, because he was looking at her in worry.

"Yeah, I'm – I'm okay," she replied, snapping out of it. "It's okay, I'll... I'll just... stay out here."

"You sure?" he asked, still not convinced that she was telling the truth.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Besides, what's in there except a bunch of stuffy alien experts who think they're all that. I can wait."

"Oi," he joked.

"Present company excluded," she grinned at him, her tongue poking out.

"Excuse me? Are you the Doctor?" Harriet asked, having been hanging around for the last few minutes.

"Not now, we're busy," the man said in frustration before the Doctor had a chance to reply. "Can't you go home?"

"I just need a word in private," she said. The Doctor clearly hadn't noticed the interaction, or had been dragged away, because he gave her hand a small squeeze and left her side.

"You haven't got clearance, now leave it!" He turned to Rose and placed a hand behind her back to direct her. "I'm going to have to leave you with security."

"It's all right. I'll look after her," Harriet stopped him. "Let me be of some use." Rose smiled at her and followed her as she led her away to an empty space. "Walk with me. Just keep walking. That's right. Don't look around. Harriet Jones, MP-"

"MP Flydale North. I know who you are," Rose whispered.

"You- you do?"

"Yes," Rose said.

"And... and that friend of yours... he's an expert, is that right? He knows about aliens?"

"Yeah. He's the best... We can help," she said softly to the clearly scared woman. Suddenly Harriet burst into tears. Rose didn't even hesitate to take her into her arms and comfort her.

"Th-there's aliens here," she whispered. "They're here. In the building... pretending to be important people. I... I saw them." Suddenly she grabbed Rose's hand and led her away towards the cabinet room. She knew that right now, Harriet was too distraught to try and explain any further than show her the proof.

When they were in the room, she went into the closet, before coming out with the skin-suit. She showed it to Rose.

"See. It's real. It's a real person. I saw them do it to someone else when they got rid of this one... They turned the body into a suit! A disguise for the thing inside!" Again, she burst into tears. Rose had never really stopped to think about that. Harriet had _seen_ a person be killed and skinned and... god knows what they did with the rest of the body...

She had seen some pretty horrible things in her travels, but that would have been horrible.

"It's all right. I believe you," she told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "They're definitely aliens... but they have to have some serious technology behind them. Maybe if we could find it..." She began looking around the room for something. She knew there was something important in this room. Something else. There was more to find here... There was...

She opened a cupboard, and suddenly a body fell from it, landing on the floor with a thump. She squealed and jumped back in shock. For a second she'd forgotten about that. She had forgotten about the Prime Minister...

Harriet came over to see and they both stood above him, looking at each other in concern.

"Harriet, for God's sake!" the secretary said in annoyance, entering the room. "This has gone beyond a joke. You cannot just wander-" He stopped still when he saw the PM on the ground. "Oh my god! That's the Prime Minister!"

"Oh!" came a voice from outside and they looked up to see Margaret walking towards them from the shadows. "Has someone been naughty?" She closed the door behind her, trapping them.

"That's impossible," he stuttered. "He left this afternoon. The Prime Minister left Downing Street, he was driven away!"

"And who told you that? Hmm?" Margaret said sweetly, walking up to him. "Me!" Reaching up, she brushed her hair from her forehead and began to unzip, peeling down her 'suit' with a glowing green light. Finally it dropped to her feet and they could see what she really looked like.

With a cry, she grabbed the man and threw him up against the wall by his throat. She had to do something.

Now.


	11. World War III, The Slitheen

_**Hey everyone!**_

_**Finally done with this chapter! I've had a little bit of a block with it about half way through. And then recently my sleeping patterns have been way off kilter, and I've been falling asleep as soon as I get home. So I've had NO time to write in the last few weeks. I need to set that right.**_

_**I'm having a date weekend with Matt, but in my down time I will start on the next chapter of Through the Stars and I also have about half of the next chapter of Gaps written out on paper.**_

_**With this one I made a bit of a mistake... then I realised it would actually help with the plot a little. So I hope you enjoy it!**_

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><p>.<p>

.

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***World Ward III***

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**The Slitheen**

.

.

Lunging forward, Rose grabbed the small spray bottle from her pocket and sprayed it at Margaret's eyes. Shrieking, the Slitheen dropped the man and covered her face with her giant green claws. The man held his throat, still coughing and gasping for air. She and Harriet pulled him to his feet. Unfortunately, there would be no time for him to regain his breath.

"Run!" she told them. The three of them rushed out. Before they were out, she took one quick look back. Margaret's screaming changed as an electric current surrounded her body as the device on her neck messed up. "Go!"

"No, wait!" Harriet cried. "They're still in there! The emergency protocols! We need them!"

"There's no time! Run!" She gave Harriet a slight push and they all headed down the corridor.

"Those could help," the man cried.

"Yeah, then we'll get them later. Just go. We need to hide!"

She led them through the corridors, trying to find a good room. She could hear the sound of claws on the wooden floor, running after them. It wouldn't be long till Margaret caught up with them. And even if they got into a room before she saw them, she could still smell them.

"Why can't we go down stairs?" the secretary asked.

"Because they'll be down there too. She didn't just get electrocuted for no reason. Something must have set it off. Ah, in here." She pulled them in and locked the door behind her. "Quick, hide somewhere."

Everyone dashed around the room, trying to find somewhere very safe to hide. Unfortunately, like most of this place, there weren't many places to hide. Once again, Harriet hid behind the folded blinds. She went straight to the window and curled up on the sill, ready to run when she had to. The secretary saw a small cupboard and squished himself in. It was a good thing he was small, because he was probably going to need help out.

Oh god, please don't go for him first... She reached into her pocket to grab the vinegar bottle, only to find it empty. Crap. She must have dropped it after she helped the guy.

Right as they were all in place, there was a rattle at the door handle. There was another few rattles, a pause, and then a smashing of wood. A hand clapped over her mouth to stopped the surprised squeal that would have burst out.

"Oh, such fun!" Margaret taunted, her voice coming out in its natural bubbling hiss. Little human children... Where are you? Sweet little humeykins... Come to me... Let me kiss you better... Kiss you with my big green lips."

Rose tried to let her breath out as softly as possible. She tried to calm herself, but she could feel her heart beat faster, her breath coming heavier.

"My brothers!" Margaret said sweetly, her attention drawn away for now.

"Happy hunting?" another asked.

"It's wonderful! The more you prolong it, the more they stink!"

"Sweat... and fear." She tried not to touch anything, like the curtain. Tried not to movie a bit, even though it was pointless.

"I can smell an old girl... stale perfume and brittle bones."

"And two ripe youngsters. One with hair product and testosterone, the other all hormones and adrenalin." She heard her getting closer and prepared to move. "Fresh enough to bend before she snaps!"

Suddenly a claw swung into her hiding place, ripping down the curtains and slashing her arm. A scream pried itself from her lips and she found herself scurrying backwards instead of forwards.

"No!" she heard Harriet cry. "Take me first! Take me!"

It stalled the Slitheen long enough for the Doctor to rush through the broken fragments of the doors, a fire extinguisher in hand. He blasted the extinguisher at the Slitheen's faces. Rose took her chance and pulled the curtain down over Margaret's head and round house kicked her backwards.

"Out! With me!" the Doctor cried. The two women ran towards him, getting past the aliens as fast as they could. Rose paused along the way to help pull the secretary out of the cupboard. "Nice moves," he said to her.

"Thanks," she grinned. It had hurt like anything to kick her, what with her soft, untrained body and Margaret's massive size.

He spied Harriet and the guy and looked them up and down. "Who the hell are you?"

"Harriet Jones. MP for Flydale North."

"Indra Ganesh."

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"No time for that now, we got to go," Rose shouted at them. Snapping to his senses, the Doctor sprayed them all with the fire extinguisher one more time before he chucked it and bolted, the others not far ahead of him. "We need to get to the cabinet rooms!"

"The Emergency Protocols are in there! They give instructions on aliens!"

"Harriet Jones. I like you," he grinned.

"Ooh, I like you too."

They bolted down the corridors with the Slitheen hot on their tails. With the sonic-screwdriver helping them, they were through doors in a second. And soon they were in the cabinet rooms, but the Slitheen were so close, there was no time to close the door. Quickly, the Doctor grabbed a bottle of brandy from the table beside them and held it up with the sonic pointed at it.

One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof! We all go up. So back off." The Slitheen did as he said, falling for his ruse. "Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?"

"They're aliens," Harriet said.

"In people suits," Indra added.

"Yes. I got that, thanks."

"Who are you, if not human?" one of the Slitheen asked.

"Who's not human?"

"He's not human," Rose told the others.

"He's not human?"

"He's an alien too?"

"Can I have a bit of hush?" he said in annoyance.

"Sorry," both of them replied. Rose just grinned.

"So, what's the plan?"

"But he's got a Northern accent." Harriet cut them off again.

"Lots of planets have a north."

"I said hush." He turned back to the Slitheen, holding the brandy out at them threateningly. "Come on! You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of government. What for, invasion?"

"Why would we invade this God forsaken rock?"

"Then something's brought the Slitheen race here. What is it?"

"The Slitheen race?" it laughed.

"Slitheen is not our species," laughed the other male. "Slitheen is our surname. Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen at your service."

"So, you're a family."

"It's a family business."

"Then you're out to make a profit. How can you do that on a God forsaken rock?"

"Ahh... excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability...?"

"That's what I said."

"You're making it up!" it accused.

"Ah, well. Nice try. Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it." He held the bottle of brandy out to her, never taking his eyes off the Slitheen.

"You pass to the left first," she said.

"Sorry." He changed sides and held it out to Indra, who grabbed it.

"Thanks," he said. Rose took her eyes off the Slitheen only to look at him in surprise when he drank down a large swig and after pulling a funny face, another.

"Now we can end this hunt... with a slaughter," the Slitheen said, holding up his claws menacingly. The Doctor just folded his arms and Rose went and stood beside him.

"You know, from my observations so far, Slitheen don't seem to be very bright," she said.

"You're right, Rose," he said. "Time for a history lesson, don't you think."

"Absolutely."

"After all, it does have a fascinating history, Downing Street. Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mr Chicken. He was a nice man. 1796, this was the cabinet room. If the cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain." Then he hit a switch near the door. "End of lesson." Suddenly, every entrance to the room, even the windows, were blocked by metal shutters. The Doctor turned to the three humans with a grin. "Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining ever single wall. They'll never get in."

"That's brilliant, Doctor," Rose grinned, just ever so slightly mocking. "Now how do we get out?" It was almost comical to watch his expression as he realised the flaw in his plan.

"Ah."

.

After a while everyone started to do their own thing. Harriet sat down and started reading through the emergency protocols. Rose began looking around, searching every nook and cranny. The Doctor was sonicing things, trying to find a way out. And Indra was dragging the Prime Minister's body into a closet.

"I can't believe they did this. I _organised_ his arrival. I should have known that he hadn't made it... alive."

"Don't be to hard on yourself," Harriet told him. "You had a lot to organise, then you had me running around like the old idiot I am. Besides, as far as you were concerned, he w_as_ dropped off safely. It's not your fault they lied to you. Or did any of this."

"Must have taken them ages to plan all this. Landing here without anyone noticing. Finding out the most important people in the government. Setting everything up. Planning the reactions to the fake crash. Hang on... they would have had to know what the government would do about a crash. They would have had to look through the protocols."

"I fear you may be right, Rose. The protocols just list people who can help, and they're all downstairs."

"Rose, you're hurt!" the Doctor suddenly said in concern. He was looking at her arm which was stained with blood.

"What? Ouch... Oh yeah. I forgot about that," she said. "Blon got me.."

"Who?"

"The... the female one. She scratched me when she pulled the curtain out of the way."

"Right. You sit. Let's take a look at this." She sat opposite Harriet and the Doctor beside her. He carefully rolled up the shoulder of her sleeve, making her wince. She had completely forgotten about it in the rush, but now that the burst of adrenalin had faded away, it was a little hard not to notice. She saw the Doctor make a face and knew that it wasn't looking pretty.

"Is there a first aid box anywhere around here?"

"Um... yep. In here," Indra said, grabbing it from the closet and handing it to the Doctor. "What I don't understand is why they didn't use the Prime Minister."

"Eh?" he said as he began to clean the wound.

Indra shrugged. "Well, they clearly knew who was at the top of government, and they wanted to get there. Why didn't they just use the Prime Minister himself?"

"He's too slim. They're big old beasts. They need to fit inside big humans."

"But they're gigantic. They've got to be about eight feet at least. How would they even fit in the first place."

"That's the device around their necks, compression field. Literally shrinks them down a bit. That's why there's all that gas. It's a big exchange."

"Wish I had a compression field right now. I miss being skinny."

"Excuse me, people are dead. This is not the time for making jokes."

"Sorry... you kind of get used to it after seeing enough of it. You just got to find the good side of what's happening. Even if it's joking about the worst things... Hang on, I don't have a morbid sense of humour, do I?" She looked at the Doctor in worry.

"Not that I can tell," he shrugged.

"Good. But wait a minute, Doctor didn't you say that you electrocuted the Slitheen down there?" Everyone looked at her in confusion... okay, maybe he hadn't said that.

"Erm, well, I _did_ do that. They had chips in all the ID badges that sent out an electric current. My biology allows me to survive it at that level. So I took it off and stuck it in the device." He took out some bandages and began to wrap the wound up. "It killed everyone else."

"Oh..."

"That's how we got out!" she said excitedly. "Right after she dropped Indra, she started being shocked by her device. It gave us enough time to get out. The devices must be linked! If we could destroy one, we may end up getting them all."

"Might be. Unfortunately we need a way to get rid of _them_ as well as their disguise. There you're done." He patted her lightly on the shoulder and moved off to start sonicing things again.

"Thanks. Do you think it works like a translator, like the TARIDS does for us. Because the others can hear them speak English, and clearly their voices are meant to work a different way with all that burbbling."

"Burbbling?" Indra questioned.

"It's a made up word from Lewis Carol's 'The Jabberwokey' poem," Harriet told him.

"Oh, is that where it's from. Must have picked it up."

"You're a very intelligent girl, you know."

"Me, nah. Not really." Everyone in the room looked at her with either a raised eyebrow or a sympathetic look. "What? I'm not. Honestly. I dropped out of school before I had finished my A Levels for the stupidest reason imaginable. I'm not smart. Believe me." She hadn't even finished her courses in the other universe before her sickness had caused her to drop out.

"Well, you sound pretty intelligent to me," Indra told her. She gave him a big smile and out of the corner of her eyes she saw the Doctor shoot him a scowl. He passed around the room a bit more before he turned back to Harriet.

"Harriet Jones. I've heard that name before. Harriet Jones... You're not famous or anything, are you?"

"Ha! Hardly," she laughed bitterly.

"Rings a bell, Harriet Jones..."

"You'll get there eventually," Rose smiled at him. "Maybe it's something she's not famous for _yet_."

"You two make no sense," Indra said, shaking his head and sitting down. Rose had too much energy to be sitting down, and now that her arm was fixed, she was up and about again.

"I'm a life long backbencher, I'm afraid. An a fat lot of use I'm being now. The protocols are redundant. As I said, they list the people who can help and they're all dead downstairs."

"Hasn't it got like... defence codes or something?" she asked. "What if we just... launch a bomb at them."

Harriet looked at her aghast. "You're a very violent young woman."

"I'm serious. We could. I mean, I'm not one for killing things or jumping straight to the 'destroy them all' option. But it's what they are planning on doing to us, right? They said they want to turn it into molten rock and sell it. Bomb them before they can bomb us. Unless you've got a better plan."

The older woman sighed. "No, I don't. But there's nothing like that in here. Nuclear strikes do need a release code, yes, but it's kept secret by the United Nations. As for regular bombs, we would at least need to contact someone. Which we can't."

"Hold on, say that again," the Doctor said. He was clearly starting to recognise her voice.

"What, about the codes?"

"Anything. All of it."

"Um, well... the British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a special resolution from the UN."

"Please, like that would stop them," Rose scoffed.

"Exactly, given our past record – and I voted against that, thank you very much - the codes have been taken out of the governments hands and given to the UN."

"Yeah, but... Rose is right," Indra said. "If we can find a way to contact them, we can find somewhere that would be willing to launch even just a regular missile. It would be targeted. Less people will be hurt. What about that group, Doctor? UNIT?"

"It depends. I could negotiate something if I can talk to the Brigadier, otherwise I'm not really a fan of getting them to help."

"If only we knew what the Slitheen wanted... Listen to me, I'm saying 'Slitheen' as if it's normal."

The Doctor looked as if he were deep in thought, then suddenly his head snapped up to Rose. "Hold on, Rose. What did you say before?"

"About the missiles?"

"No! ...Well, sort of. You said 'bomb them before they bomb us'. You said that what they wanted to do turn Earth into a molten rock and sell it."

"Oh, I did, yeah."

"How did you know that?"

"They... said it." She looked at him, slightly confused. Had he missed that part? ...Or had she skipped ahead?"

"No, they said that Earth was a god forsaken rock. They said nothing about melting it down and selling it." She looked about at everyone, panicking slightly. "Rose, are you sure you're not-"

"No. I'm fine!" she almost snapped. "I've already told you I'm not psychic or nothing."

"Then where did you get that idea from?"

"I don't know!" Her cry left the room hanging in silence. Everyone was looking at her, and with a growl she huffed off to the other side of the room, taking out her phone.

"But how would they sell Earth if they are bombing it?" Harriet asked. "What would they be after? Gold? Oil? Iron or other metals?"

"You're very good at this," the Doctor grinned at her, distracting himself from Rose for a second.

"Thank you," she said, sounding very pleased.

"Harriet Jones. Why do I know that name?"

.

Just then, there was a bleep from across the room and everyone's heads turned to Rose.

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "I was just playing 'Snake'. I've actually got a message..."

"But we're sealed off. How did you get a signal?"

"Oh, he zapped it. Alien tech. Bit of Spock. Now it's a super-phone. I can call anywhere, anywhen through space and time."

"Time?"

"And you didn't think to mention this phone before when we were talking about contacting someone outside?" Indra grumped.

"Hey! I can't be the brains of the operation all the time! That's his job... and why didn't he think of it either?" The Doctor held his hands up in surrender, his face saying 'don't look at me'.

"Well, now we can phone for help! You must have contacts."

"Yeah. Most of them are dead downstairs."

"It's Mickey," Rose said, getting up and walking over to them.

"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend we're busy," the Doctor said in annoyance.

"Okay, first off, stop calling him stupid, or I'll start calling you jealous. Second, he's not my boyfriend anymore. And third, he just sent me a picture of a Slitheen in my mothers fucking living room!"

"What?" Suddenly interested, he came around and took the phone from her hands to look at the image. It was caught at the time when they were all being electrocuted. "Right then. We've got our outside contacts."

* * *

><p><strong>?...DW...?<strong>

* * *

><p>Rose waited anxiously as the phone rang. She let out a huge breath of relief when Mickey answered.<p>

"Hello? Rose?!"

"Mickey! Are you guys alright? What happened?"

"There was a police officer who was talking to Jackie. But he was an alien." There was a rattling sound and she guessed he was trying to get into his flat.

"The police officer was an alien?"

"No, no, no, no, no, not just alien. But like... proper alien. All stinking, and wet, and disgusting. And more to the point, it wanted to kill us!"

"I could have died!" she heard her mother in the background.

"Is she alright? She didn't get hurt, though, did she? For the love of god, _don't_ put her on. Just tell me."

Suddenly the phone was snatched from her hands as the Doctor took it and began to speak.

"Is that Ricky? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer."

"It's Mickey. And why should I?" she heard faintly.

"Mickey the Idiot, I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but, ah... I need you." She grinned at him smugly and he rolled his eyes. There was a moments pause before Mickey spoke again. They all went and sat in a group at the table and the Doctor held out the phone so they could all hear. But first he typed something into a message and sent it.

"Okay, I'm on. Now what?" That far away it was hard to hear what was being said.

"I sent an address to Jackie's phone. I need you to log onto that."

"Here..." For a bit all they could hear was the typing of keys.

"It says 'password'."

The Doctor put the phone on speaker and placed it on the table. "Say again."

"It's asking for the password."

"Buffalo. Two 'F's, one 'L'."

"So, what's that website?"

"All the secret information known to mankind. See, they've known about aliens for years, they just kept us in the dark."

"Mickey, you were born in the dark," he said nastily.

"Oi, stop it!" Rose growled him.

"Thank you," he said sarcastically. "Password again."

"Just repeat it every time. They want to turn the earth into molten Rock," he mused. "They crashed into Big Ben, stirred up a whole lot off attention. For what? Couldn't they have just bombed the planet?"

"They wanted to get the world on red alert," Rose said.

"But if they're hiding, then why would they do that?" Indra asked.

"Who said they wanted to hide? Well... fully anyway. They wanted to keep themselves hidden, but they also wanted to get the world freaked out about aliens. We've seen how humans react to an alien invasion, but what if it progresses?"

"Oh, would you listen to her!" Jackie scoffed.

"Shut up, Mum. At least I'm trying to do something."

"Rose, what are you getting at?" Indra asked.

"Humans are volatile," the Doctor replied.

"Exactly. Then we've got the Slitheen in high places. And what can people in high places do?"

"They can influence people. The media!" Harriet realised.

"And once they have everyone's attention, they can make them believe whatever they want," the Doctor finished up.

"Well, that's brilliant!" Jackie said bitterly. "But I have a question for you Doctor, and you are damn well going to answer it. Because ever since you walked into our lives, I have been attacked on the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughter's disappeared off the face of the Earth and gone stark raving mad!"

"Mum, I'm not mad! You've already seen. Everything I said is true."

"Yeah, well I don't believe that you've only been gone a week, because you've changed a damn lot." Rose looked at the ground. "And don't you butt into this, I'm talking to him. 'Cause I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it. And maybe you think it's clever and smart, but you tell me. Just answer me this. Is my daughter safe?"

He looked at the phone intently, not saying a word.

"I'll be fine," she said in exasperation. "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

"Is she safe? Will she always be safe? Can you promise me that?" He glanced up at Rose, and she saw his eyes flick to the wound on her upper arm before he made eye contact. They stared at each other a moment, unspoken words shared between them. He was concerned. She didn't care. "Well, what's the answer?"

"We're in," Mickey's voice came, breaking the tension.

Now let off the hook, the Doctor rushed up to the table again. "Right then, on the left there's a tab. An icon. Little concentric circles. Click on that."

He did so and a strange noise was now coming from the other end of the phone. It sounded like that strange instrument that they used in old sci-fi's. "What is it?"

"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal. Now hush, let me work out what it's saying." He began listening intently.

"He'll have to answer me one day," Jackie said.

"Hush!" Mickey hissed at her.

"It's some sort of message," he told them.

"What does it say?"

"I don't know. It's on a loop, keeps repeating." There was the sound of a bell in the background and Rose tensed. "Hush!"

"That's not me. Go see who that is," he said the last part to Jackie.

"It's three o'clock in the morning!"

"Well go and tell _them_ that!"

"It's beaming out into space. Who's it for?" In the background the noises continued, punctuated with the occasional sound of Jackie's voice. Suddenly there was the sound of a slamming door and she began to squeal.

"It's him! It's the thing, it's the Slipeen!"

"They've found us," Mickey said.

"Mickey, I need that signal."

"Never mind that! Get Mum and get out! Get somewhere safe!"

"We can't it's by the front door... Oh my god, it's unmasking. It's gonna kill us."

"There's got to be some way of stopping them!" Harriet said. "You're supposed to be the expert, think of something!"

"I'm trying!"

"I'll take it on, Jackie. You just run. Don't look back. Just run."

"Don't be an idiot!" Rose cried. "They can fire poisonous darts!"

"How'd you know that?" the Doctor asked her.

"Blon shot some at me when we were running. They were small, so I assumed they were poisonous."

"Just her?"

"Yeah, I think so, why?"

"Right, that narrows it down already. If we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from. Which planet. Judging by their face and shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets in travelling distance. Just over two thousand with the darts. About a thousand five hundred if it's only the females that produce them. What else do we know about them?"

"They're green," she said.

"Yep, narrows it down."

"Uh, good sense of smell... they hunt!"

"Narrows it down.

"The pig technology," Harriet said.

"Narrows it down."

"They can smell adrenaline. And age!"

"Narrows it down."

"Hold on," Indra put in. "Rose, what did you use to get her to let go of me?"

"Eh?" the Doctor said.

"Before she was electrocuted Rose did something that made her let me go."

"Yes! You sprayed her with something," Harriet cried.

"Rose, what did you spray her with."

"Um, vinegar," she replied.

"Vinegar?!"

"Yeah."

"Why did you have vinegar in a spray bottle?"

"I use it on my chips!" she lied. "Even dispersal."

"Even d... Who even does that?!"

"I don't know!"

"But will it help?"

"It's getting in!" Mickey shouted.

"Averse to vinegar... um... Yes! That smell that's around them, like bad breath! Calcium decay! Creatures of living calcium. Plus all the other factors. That narrows it down to one planet. Raxacoricofallapatorius!"

"Oh, yeah, great. We could write them a letter," Mickey scoffed.

"Mickey, Rose is right. Vinegar will work. Get into the kitchen!"

"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet said.

"What?" Indra said, utterly confused.

"Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"

"How should I know?"

"It's your kitchen."

"He's a flatting man in his 20's. He's lucky to have any actual food at all," Rose said pushing the Doctor out of the way. "Mum, look in the cupboard by the sink, middle shelf."

"Hold on," Mickey said, before he must have handed the phone to Jackie. "Rose said to look in that cupboard there."

"What am I looking for?"

"Anything with vinegar!"

"Gerkins!" she cried. "Yeah, Pickled onions! Oh... Three bottles of vinegar. Mickey, do you even need this much vinegar?"

"I didn't even know I had those!"

"Just use it!" Rose cried in distress.

"Bloody hell, you kiss this man?" the Doctor said.

"Not any more," she muttered. She was interrupted by a loud crash and there was noises and squealing as it came closer. They waited, listening to the rustling. Then there was absolute silence for a good few seconds, finally followed by the sound of something popping.

They had done it!

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief, slumping into the chairs or leaning heavily on the desk.

"Hannibal?" Indra asked Harriet.

"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar."

"There you go then," Rose breathed. "Just like Hannibal... But with big green aliens instead of boulders." Everyone gave a small chuckle and raised the glasses of brandy they had poured earlier in a toast, then drunk it.

"Phew," she breathed. "Please tell me the others aren't going to be that hard?"


End file.
